Traveling Abroad? Here’s Where to Find a Notary Public
Are you a globetrotter or expat? Before you embark on your next overseas adventure, you’ll need to make sure that any legal documents or contracts are notarized. But where can you go if there’s no notary public in sight?
Fortunately, there are a few options available for travelers and expats who need the services of a notary public while abroad.
How can I find a notary overseas?
If you are traveling abroad and need to find a notary public, the best place to start is by asking your embassy or consulate. Many embassies and consulates will be able to provide notarial services or refer you to an authorized notary in the area. You may also be able to locate a qualified notary public through a local lawyer or one of the major U.S. banks in the country.
If you are traveling to a remote area, it may be more difficult to find a notary public. In these cases, it is best to check online for local notaries who can provide services. Some websites will list available notaries based on your geographic location and you can contact them directly or ask your embassy or consulate to help you make arrangements.
When searching for a qualified notary public, remember to ask about their credentials and experience. Be sure that they are authorized to perform the service in question and that they understand all the necessary requirements for notarial acts. It is also important to check reviews from previous clients to ensure that they have a good reputation.
Finally, be sure to ask about the cost of the notarial service before you agree to the arrangement. When traveling abroad it is especially important to understand the details of the service before signing any
The Best way to find a notary overseas?
The best way to find a notary overseas would be to log onto an approved site like BlueNotary and get your notarization done online. With recent passing of notarization laws, you are now able to get documents notarized from anywhere in the world at anytime as long as your notary is performing the notarization from the state they are commissioned in. You will be able to find qualified notaries from where ever you are in the world that are located in the US and able to provide you with online notarization services. It’s so easy you can be done in less than 10 minutes start to finish without leaving your hotel or hostel.
Where can I find a notary public abroad?
If you don’t want to go through or are unable to go through the easy and efficient route of doing your notarization online, you can still find a notary public abroad.
Depending on the country that you are in, there might be a list of authorized notaries published by the Ministry of Justice or Ministry of Foreign Affairs for your reference. You can also look up online to see if any legal services offer notary services in the area or as mentioned before, you can contact the embassy or consulate for help.
Once I have my document, how can you verify that it’s authentic?
Once you have received the document, you can try to authenticate it by checking for any sign of tampering. Some countries and governing bodies will require that you get an authentication certification called an apostille. This came about due to the Hague Apostille Convention. Notaries will include several features in documents such as a signature and seal, which cannot be replicated easily. Additionally, many notarial acts involve witnessing signatures and verifying identity through government-issued IDs.
These measures help ensure that documents are not easily tampered with and can be trusted as authentic. You may also want to contact the issuing authority or jurisdiction where the document was created, to verify the authenticity of the document. This can provide an additional layer of security and confidence regarding its validity.
What Countries are included in the Hague Apostille Convention?
The Hague Apostille Convention includes over 100 countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and most European nations. This convention established procedures for authenticating legal documents so that they can be accepted in other participating countries. If a document needs to be used or presented in one of these countries and it was created in another participating country, it requires an apostille.
The apostille is essentially a certification that the document is authentic and was issued by an authorized notary. A full list of the countries included in the Hague Apostille Convention can also be found courtesy of the Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority.
