A Notary Public (or Notary) is a person who has the authority to witness signatures on legal documents, administer oaths and certify the authenticity of legal documents, usually for documentation required overseas.

Julian Airey is our Notary Public and is available by appointment for notarial services at all of our offices.

Do I need to make an appointment for notary services?

Yes, an appointment is required for notary services. Same-day appointments are not always available so it is best to book ahead of time.

Is the notary available for appointments on the weekend?

Our notary is only available by appointment during our standard business hours. We are not open on evenings or weekends.

How much does it cost to get a document notarised?

We charge $130.00 including GST for notarising one document and an additional $50.00 including GST for each additional document notarised in the same appointment.

When booking your appointment, please tell us the number of documents that you wish to have notarised, and we will provide you a fee indication in accordance with the above prices. The fee indication provided prior to your appointment is indicative only and the final amount will be confirmed by our notary at your appointment. This is because it is often not apparent how many documents require notarisation until they are presented to the notary.

How long is an appointment with the notary?  

We allocate 30 minutes for each notary appointment. If you have more than eight documents to be notarised, please let us know at the making of your appointment as you may require a longer appointment time.

What do I need to bring to my appointment?

You will need to bring with you the relevant documents for notarising unsigned and any instructions that have been provided to you in relation to the execution of the documents. The documents for notarising cannot be signed before your appointment as the notary needs to witness your signature.

The notary will witness the documents and provide his notarial certificate and seal.

Each person signing the documents will also need to provide photographic ID. The preferred form of photographic ID is a valid passport (New Zealand or international); however, if you do not have a valid passport, a valid New Zealand driver’s licence together with secondary identification is acceptable.

What do I need to do if my document requires a witness signature?

Some documents may require the signature of one or more witnesses. If the document only requires the signature of a witness, members of our firm can provide this for you during your appointment. If, however, a witness is required to provide a certified copy of their photographic ID as well as their signature, you will need to arrange for your own witnesses to attend the appointment with you, along with their original passports or valid New Zealand driver’s licence, at an additional charge of $50.00 per witness.

If you are unsure whether or not your document requires a witness signature and their photographic ID, please contact the overseas authority to whom you will be sending your documents and ask for their confirmation prior to attending your appointment.

Can the notary notarise documents in a language other than English?

Our notary can notarise your document if it is written in a language other than English as long as that document is accompanied by an official English language translation. 

If you are able to fluently speak the language of the document to be notarised, we may be able to accept a personal translation. This is assessed on a case-by-case basis, so please speak to us about your translation requirements at the time of booking your appointment.

Can I attend a notary appointment on behalf of someone else?

No, whoever is required to sign the document in front of the Notary must attend the appointment in person.

Further requirements for notary appointments

It is necessary that the person executing a document in front of our notary can understand and speak English, so as to be able to communicate with the Notary. If this is not the case, please let us know at the time of booking your appointment as an official interpreter may also need to attend the appointment. Please note family or friends cannot normally act as interpreters. 

Can you provide an apostille or authentication if required?

We do not provide apostilles or authentications as this is a service provided by the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs.

Not every notarised document will require an apostille. Whether you need an apostille or authentication depends on the country your documents will be used in. If you are unsure whether or not you require an apostille, we recommend you contact the legal authority to whom you are sending your documents for their confirmation. 

For further information on apostilles, please visit the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs website.

Contact us today to make an appointment with our Notary Public.