A notary public in Telok Ayer is a public servant appointed by a state official. The general focus of his or her job is to witness the documents’ verification and administer oaths. They serve to deter fraud, appearing as an impartial witness for legal documents such as affidavits, deeds or powers of attorney. The presence of a notary public helps to screen for imposters and make sure both parties are entering into an agreement knowingly and willingly.
Similarly, legalization is the process of proper authentication or screening of documents or the notary by the high commission or the embassy or the consulate of the country in which the document is to be used is authorized to or located in Singapore. In simple terms, it is the official confirmation of the originality of the documents or we can say that document legalization is just the confirmation that the stamp, seal or the signature showing in the document is genuine and not a fraud.
Telok Ayer Notary Public Service Locations
In the United Kingdom and many other Common Law jurisdictions certain documents need to be sworn before a qualified legal person known as a Commissioner for Oaths. This is an ancient office which is appointed by the lord Chancellor for the jurisdiction in England and Wales.
The office of Commissioner for Oaths is granted to the following professional lawyers subject to certain conditions:
- Barristers in practice
- Solicitors in practice
- Notary Public
- Legal Executive (conditional)
- Licensed Conveyancer (conditional)
Most solicitors, who are in fact the largest group of lawyers, charge in 6 minute units so for an average solicitor charging £150 + VAT per hour, two 6 minute units would normally be worth £30 +VAT. The result is many refuse to do this sort of work or contrive to charge higher fees.
So you will know when you need one but can you easily find one to act for you? If one turns you down just keep trying.
Consulate, Embassy Or High Commission - What's the Difference?
It's something most of us don't give a second thought to - until we get into trouble overseas and need help. So, who do you call? A Consulate, the Embassy, or High Commission? The following is intended as an unofficial and brief explanation only:
Consulate
Consulates are like mini embassies or branches of embassies. They are found in major tourist cities of the world or areas with large expatriate populations. Consulates issue visas, passports and emergency documents. They also perform notary functions, register births and deaths and handle serious matters such as forced marriages and child abductions. Consulates assist nationals imprisoned abroad and victims of crime. They also help in cases of serious illness while travelling or death of relatives abroad. They are the first point of contact when passports are lost or stolen or any other serious problem is experienced when living or travelling abroad. Their main function is to assist people; they do not normally get involved in country-to-country relations (which is the main role and function of the ambassador and embassy). Smaller cities and towns may have an 'honorary consulate' which is a smaller version of a consulate.
Expatriates and travellers should never contact any of the above offices unless it is a very important matter (such as a lost or stolen passport) or a real emergency. Just as it is inappropriate to contact emergency services with time-wasting calls about noisy neighbours and dogs, consulates and embassies should never be contacted over trivial matters like lost sunglasses, weather reports, missed flights, or assistance with paying bills! Travellers are expected to take out travel insurance to cover travel mishaps such as lost and stolen property and payment of emergency medical expenses. Although you need to contact a Consulate to replace a lost or stolen passport, travel insurance will normally cover the cost for replacement.
