The Notary Public

by Noelle McDonald

A Notary Public is a public officer established in law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with foreign or international business.

A Notary is authorised to prepare, attest, authenticate and certify deeds and other documents that are required or intended for use anywhere in the world. A Notary’s signature and official seal renders such documents legally acceptable to the judicial or other public authorities in the country where they are intended to be used.

The Office of the Notary Publicis is sometimes described as the third arm of the legal profession. It is also the oldest surviving branch of the legal profession and its origins can be traced back to Ancient Rome..

A typical example of a document which requires the signature and/or seal of a Notary Public is a Foreign Power of Attorney. For example if you are buying, selling or mortgaging property in a foreign country, it may be convenient for you to give a Power of Attorney to a person in that country, usually a lawyer, to deal with the transaction on your behalf.

In most cases, you will be required to sign the Power of Attorney in front of a Notary Public. The Power of Attorney will usually be drawn up by the foreign lawyer to whom authority is given to.

In addition to having the Power of Attorney Notarised, it will occasionally be necessary to have it ‘Apostilled’ depending on what country it is designated for. An Apostille is a certificate issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs verifying the genuineness of the signature and/or seal of a Notary Public.

Noelle McDonald, Solicitor in O’Rourke Reid, has recently been appointed as a Notary Public.

For further information please contact Noelle McDonald in O’Rourke Reid
Direct Dial: +353 1 240 1200
Email: noellemcdonald@orourkereid.com

This document is for information purposes only and does not purport to represent legal advice.  
© O’Rourke Reid 2013