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38 39 40</head> 41 42 43 <body> 44 <div class="cookie-warning" > 45 <div class="cookie-warning__inner"> 46 <div class="cookie-warning__content"> 47 <div class="cookie-warning__disclaimer"><p>We use cookies on our website to give you the best experience possible. To find out more, please see our <a href="/pages/privacy-policy">privacy policy</a>.</p> 48</div> 49 50 <form class="cookie-warning__form" action="/" accept-charset="UTF-8" method="post"><input name="utf8" type="hidden" value="✓" /><input type="hidden" name="authenticity_token" value="0QThlu4DRGJ1VJomf/lGV6KYaPMWpdXTbFMsPD51wq6aqP3gy/vgwiSRaPET9vB6JNbrAjQ2v3GGo2FU5OO33A==" /> 51 <div class="cookie-warning__field"> 52 <input type="checkbox" name="cookie_necessary" id="cookie_necessary" value="true" disabled="disabled" class="cookie-warning__checkbox" checked="checked" /> 53 <label class="cookie-warning__label" for="cookie_necessary">Necessary</label> 54 </div> 55 56 <div class="cookie-warning__field"> 57 <input type="checkbox" name="cookie_preferences" id="cookie_preferences" value="true" class="cookie-warning__checkbox" checked="checked" /> 58 <label class="cookie-warning__label" for="cookie_preferences">Preferences</label> 59 </div> 60 61 <div class="cookie-warning__field"> 62 <input type="checkbox" name="cookie_statistics" id="cookie_statistics" value="true" class="cookie-warning__checkbox" checked="checked" /> 63 <label class="cookie-warning__label" for="cookie_statistics">Statistics</label> 64 </div> 65 66 <div class="cookie-warning__field"> 67 <input type="checkbox" name="cookie_marketing" id="cookie_marketing" value="true" class="cookie-warning__checkbox" checked="checked" /> 68 <label class="cookie-warning__label" for="cookie_marketing">Marketing</label> 69 </div> 70 71 <div class="cookie-warning__actions"> 72 <input type="submit" name="commit" value="Continue" class="cookie-warning__button" data-disable-with="Continue" /> 73 </div> 74</form> </div> 75 </div> 76 </div> 77 78 79<div class="header"> 80 <a class="header-logo" href="https://www.thenotariessociety.org.uk/"> 81 <div class="header-logo-text small"> 82 The Notaries Society 83 </div> 84</a> 85 <a title="Toggle navigation" class="toggle-class toggle-mobile-navigation" data-class="mobile-menu" data-container=".header-navigation" data-return="false" href="#"> 86 <img alt="Toggle navigation" src="https://www.thenotariessociety.org.uk/assets/components/navigation/mobile-a4dccec367aab6ca885028ceaecc18bad1e32cde576e3665d06e329c02ec2943.jpg" /> 87</a> 88 <div class="society-login"> 89 <a class="society-login-link" href="/members-area/sessions/new">Society Members Login</a> 90 </div> 91</div> 92 93<nav class="header-navigation application"> 94 <ul class="header-navigation-links"> 95 <li> 96 <a title="Home" class="menu-link" href="https://www.thenotariessociety.org.uk/">Home</a> 97</li> 98<li> 99 <a title="What is a Notary" class="menu-link active" href="/pages/what-is-a-notary">What is a Notary</a> 100 <ul class="dropdown depth-1"> 101 <li> 102 <a title="What a Notary does" class="menu-link" href="/pages/what-a-notary-does">What a Notary does</a> 103</li> 104<li> 105 <a title="Legalisation" class="menu-link" href="/pages/legalisation">Legalisation</a> 106</li> 107<li> 108 <a title="Foreign Law and Languages" class="menu-link" href="/pages/foreign-law-languages">Foreign Law and Languages</a> 109</li> 110 111</ul></li> 112<li> 113 <a title="Find a Notary" class="menu-link" href="https://www.thenotariessociety.org.uk/">Find a Notary</a> 114</li> 115<li> 116 <a title="The Notarial Profession" class="menu-link" href="/pages/the-notarial-profession">The Notarial Profession</a> 117 <ul class="dropdown depth-1"> 118 <li> 119 <a title="" class="menu-link" href="/pages/recent-developments">Recent Developments</a> 120</li> 121<li> 122 <a title="" class="menu-link" href="/pages/compulsory-continuing-education-days">Compulsory Continuing Education Days</a> 123</li> 124 125</ul></li> 126<li> 127 <a title="Becoming a Notary" class="menu-link" href="/pages/becoming-a-notary">Becoming a Notary</a> 128</li> 129<li> 130 <a title="Contact Us" class="menu-link" href="/contacts/new">Contact Us</a> 131</li> 132<li> 133 <a title="Useful Links" class="menu-link" href="/pages/useful-links">Useful Links</a> 134</li> 135<li> 136 <a title="Complaints" class="menu-link" href="/pages/complaints">Complaints</a> 137</li> 138<li> 139 <a title="Data Protection" class="menu-link" href="/pages/privacy-notice">Data Protection</a> 140 <ul class="dropdown depth-1"> 141 <li> 142 <a title="Privacy Notice" class="menu-link" href="/pages/privacy-notice">Privacy Notice</a> 143</li> 144 145</ul></li> 146<li> 147 <a title="Terms of Use" class="menu-link" href="/pages/terms-and-conditions">Terms of Use</a> 148</li> 149 150 </ul> 151</nav> 152 153 154 155 156<div class="page-overview">
157 <div class="page-content"> 158 <h1> 159 What is a Notary? 160 </h1> 161 162 <p>A Notary is a qualified lawyer - a member of the oldest branch of the legal profession in the United Kingdom. Notaries are appointed by the Court of Faculties of the Archbishop of Canterbury and are subject to regulation by the Master of the Faculties. The rules which affect Notaries are very similar to the rules which affect Solicitors. They must be fully insured and maintain fidelity cover for the protection of their clients and the public. They must keep clients' money separately from their own and comply with stringent practice rules and rules relating to conduct and discipline. Notaries have to renew their practising certificates every year and can only do so if they have complied with the rules.</p> 163<p><strong>Functions</strong></p> 164<p>Notaries are primarily concerned with the authentication and certification of signatures, authority and capacity relating to documents for use abroad.</p> 165<p>They are also authorised to conduct general legal practice (excluding the conduct of court proceedings) such as conveyancing and probate. They may exercise the powers of a Commissioner for Oaths.</p> 166<p>The majority of Notaries Public also practise as solicitors but the Scrivener Notaries do not, nor do some 150 of the general notaries.</p> 167<p><strong>The Faculty Office</strong></p> 168<p>The Faculty Office is the administrative body of which the Master of the Faculties is head. Part of its responsibilities is the governance of the notaries. The Registrar of the Faculty Office oversees the training and qualification of notaries, has the responsibility for issuing the faculty and the annual practising certificate which, together, enable them to practise.</p> 169<p>The Notaries Society has prepared a leaflet about the profession which we hope will be of interest. Versions in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Polish are available below.</p> 170<ul id="documents"> 171<li><a href="/uploads/optimadmin/document/document/1478/The_Notary_leaflet_-_English_2026.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">English leaflet </a></li> 172<li><a href="/uploads/optimadmin/document/document/1479/TNS_Notary_leaflet_-_German_2026.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">German leaflet</a></li> 173<li><a href="/uploads/optimadmin/document/document/1480/TNS_Notary_leaflet_-_French_2026.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">French leaflet </a></li> 174<li><a href="/uploads/optimadmin/document/document/1481/TNS_Notary_leaflet_-_Italian_2026.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Italian leaflet </a></li> 175<li><a href="/uploads/optimadmin/document/document/1482/TNS_Notary_leaflet_-_Spanish_2026.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spanish leaflet</a></li> 176<li><a href="/uploads/optimadmin/document/document/1483/TNS_Notary_leaflet_-_Polish_2026.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Polish leaflet</a></li> 177</ul> 178 </div> 179 180 <div class="page-sidebar"> 181 <ul class="page-sidebar-navigation"><li class=" selected-navigation"> 182 <a title="What is a Notary" class="menu-link active" href="/pages/what-is-a-notary">What is a Notary</a> 183 184 <ul class="dropdown depth-0"> 185 <li class=""> 186 <a title="What a Notary does" class="menu-link" href="/pages/what-a-notary-does">What a Notary does</a> 187 188</li> 189<li class=""> 190 <a title="Legalisation" class="menu-link" href="/pages/legalisation">Legalisation</a> 191 192</li> 193<li class=""> 194 <a title="Foreign Law and Languages" class="menu-link" href="/pages/foreign-law-languages">Foreign Law and Languages</a> 195 196</li> 197 198</ul></li> 199</ul> 200 </div> 201</div> 202 203 204 205 <footer class="primary-footer"> 206 207 <p class="primary-footer-copyright"> 208 Copyright 2026 The Notaries Society 209 </p> 210 211 <p class="primary-footer-microcopy"> 212 The Notaries Society is a Company limited by Guarantee, registered in England and Wales under Company Number 93175. The registered office is Holly House, 133 Almodington Lane, Earnley Chichester PO20 7JR 213 </p> 214 215 <p class="primary-footer-microcopy"> 216 The databases of members of The Notaries Society are the copyright of The Notaries Society and subject to database r
216ights and the personal data rights of each individual Notary listed. Use includes access by the public but is not for commercial use by individuals or businesses for marketing or similar activities. 217 </p> 218</footer> 219 220 221 222 </body> 223</html>
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