Welcome to Notary Public East Sussex
My name is Kevin Beach, and I am a Notary Public.
I am based near the Sussex coast, in 1066 country.
I offer notary services to clients throughout East Sussex.
Services are offered to clients throughout East Sussex including:
Battle, Bexhill, Bodiam, Brightling, Burwash, Catsfield, Eastbourne, Edgecombe, Etchingham, Fairlight, Hailsham, Hastings, Heathfield, Herstmonceux, John’s Cross, Mountfield, Ninfield, Pett, Pevensey, Polegate, Robertsbridge, Sidley, Silver Hill, Standard Hill, Staplecross, St Leonards, Watlington, Westfield, Windmill Hill,
What are Notaries?
Notaries are the oldest branch of the legal profession in England and Wales. We are specialist lawyers, appointed by Royal authority, to help individuals and businesses with documents linked to international legal matters.
What I do as a Notary
I authenticate and certify documents for use abroad. Sometimes, I also draft them. When necessary, I arrange for them to be legalised by the British government and by the consulates of foreign countries.
Examples of documents I deal with, for use outside the UK:
- Powers of attorney
- Certifying copies of UK company articles and certificates of incorporation
- Consent for a child travelling abroad with one parent or a third party
- Documents for companies wishing to establish branch offices abroad
- Contracts and deeds for buying or selling property abroad
- Execution of foreign wills
- Certifying copies of important documents, such as passports and other ID and address documents, and any original document that must be proved abroad
- Verification of education certificates and professional qualifications
- Bills of sale for ships and aircraft
- Affidavits and statutory declarations
- Declarations of freedom to marry
- Statements of English law for foreign lawyers
- Documents for USA real estate transactions, insurance policy claims and surrenders, quit claims, insurance policies, affidavits and Warranty Deeds etc.
Notaries never “just witness a signature on a piece of paper”. A Notary’s main legal duty is “to the transaction”, which means that I must make sure that the signatory’s role in the transaction is valid and effective, and that they have the authority and legal capacity to take part in it. This is because notarised documents are relied upon as true and genuine by governments, officials, courts, businesses and individuals all over the world.
Preparing for the work
When you contact me, I shall ask you to email me copies of the document(s) you want me to notarise. If they have been sent to you by email from somebody abroad, I shall ask you to forward that email and all its attachments to me. That way, I will have the best chance of reliably advising you what is necessary, how long it will take and what the cost is likely to be.
Meeting you
I must always meet the people who are going to sign a document, so that I can prove their identity and discuss the document and its background with them. I have an obligation to make sure that they understand the documents and are signing them voluntarily. I check that the execution of each document complies with both English law and the law of the country it is going to.
I work from my home, where I usually arrange to meet clients. We have plenty of parking space on our driveway. Because I do not have a waiting room, and in case I am not available at any time, please always make a firm appointment before visiting, to avoid disappointment.
I can visit you at your premises if you wish, but I may have to charge extra for the travelling time if you are not very local to me.
Identification
The law requires me to check your identity. For each individual, I shall need to see a valid and in-date passport and an official document, such as a printed bank statement, utility bill or tax letter, not more than three months old, showing their name and full residential address. Please note that copies will not do. I must see the originals. I shall make and keep copies of all of them.
If you are representing a company, I shall tell you in advance what papers I will need to prove your authority, and what other checks I will need to make about the company.
My fees and expenses
My fees are based on an overall charging rate of £150 an hour. Usually, I can give a firm written estimate of all my fees in advance of the work, including details of any likely expenses that I may have to pay on your behalf for legalisation, translations, company searches, couriers etc. The estimate will also serve as a proforma invoice and must be paid in full before I send the papers for legalisation or release them back to you afterwards. I do not charge VAT.
Here are some of my typical charges:
| For the meeting, including the first document notarised | £75 |
| For every subsequent document notarised with the first document | £25 |
| Preparing and notarising new documents/notarial certificates | £100 |
| Filling in details in an incomplete document | £50 |
| Amending an incorrectly drafted document | £75 |
| Informally translating foreign language documents for legalisation | £75 |
| Liaising with academic or professional issuing bodies | £75 |
| Liaising with your overseas advisors | £75 |
| Inserting special features (e.g. photographs/fingerprints) | £75 |
I prefer payment by direct transfer to my bank account. The bank details will appear on my invoices. I will accept cash up to £500, or more if I am shown proper evidence of its source to satisfy the anti-money laundering laws. I regret that I cannot accept payment by card, because of bank charges, or by cheque, because of the closure of so many local bank branches.
Please read the other pages on this website with my Terms and Conditions, Data Protection Privacy Notice, other legal matters and the professional regulation of Notaries. There are also pages setting out my professional background and the history of Notaries generally, which you may find interesting.