As a Notary Public in London I am often asked how someone may qualify as a Notary. I hope this brief article will shed some light on the process.
There are slightly in excess of 900 Notaries Public in England and Wales, and approximately 30 who are a Notary Public in London.
The overwhelming majority of Notaries Public are qualified solicitors or legal practitioners. A Notary Public in London, or elsewhere in England and Wales for that matter, must first complete the Postgraduate Diploma in Notarial Practice.
To the best of our knowledge, the only place offering such a Notary diploma is Cambridge University. The course is conducted as distance learning via the internet and with group teaching sessions at Madingley Hall in Cambridge. It lasts for a two year period, and is open to solicitors and barristers in general private practice, and to those with a recent qualifying law degree and Legal Practice Certificate. All Applicants should hold an up to date and complete Certificate of Exemption obtainable from the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
There are three core subject areas to study. The area is Roman law, which is covered in year one, along with Private International Law.
Notarial Practice forms the basis for the second year of study.
There are written assignments of 2,000 words for both Roman Law and Private International Law, followed by an examination, and three assignments for the Notarial practice course of 3,000 words each.
The final assessment stage to become a Notary Public is a two hour written exam held in Cambridge.
For further details on how to become a UK Notary Public in London or elsewhere, please contact Matthew Pryke through the usual channels.
Hello I am thinking of becoming a Notary. I am a qualified solicitor since November 2006. I would appreciate if you can guide me on how to apply to become a Notary and what requirements I would need fulfill to become qualified. are there any exemptions available? What costs are involved to complete the qulifications required and what times in the year can we start the Diploma.
Thank you I look foward to hearing from you my by email.
Thank you for your email and your interest in the Notary Public profession. Being a Notary Public in London I get a number of enquiries from people who wish to understand the steps required to qualify as a Notary. Whilst there is information included on my website http://www.mdpryke-notary.com I suggest to most individuals who are interested in qualifying as a Notary Public to contact the Notaries Society.
I set out below contact details and would suggest that you direct your query to the Education Secretary in the first instance.
The Secretary:
Christopher J Vaughan
Old Church Chambers
23 Sandhill Road
St. James
Northampton
NN5 5LH
Email: secretary@thenotariessociety.org.uk
Telephone: 01604 758908
The Administration Department
PO Box 226
Melton
Woodbridge
IP12 1WX
Email: admin@thenotariessociety.org.uk
Please do not hesitate to contact me on matthew@mdpryke-notary.com should you have any further queries regarding the profession of Notary Publics and good luck with your search for information.
Thank you for the information!
I am a Polish magister of law (University of Warsaw graduate).
Are there any nationality requirements to become a Notary Public in London?
Jan,
Thank you for your enquiry to our Notary website and I am grateful for the interest that you are showing in the profession of a Notary Public of England and Wales. There is no restriction placed upon any nationality from becoming a Notary Public of England and Wales. The qualification requirements for all Notaries are the same, subject to the legal education and qualification obtained.
I would suggest that the best place to start would be to speak with the Notaries Society http://www.thenotariessociety.org.uk/contact-us :
The Secretary:
Christopher J Vaughan
Old Church Chambers
23 Sandhill Road
St. James
Northampton
NN5 5LH
Email: secretary@thenotariessociety.org.uk
The Notaries Society have an education secretary who should be able to provide you with all of the information you need to understand the education and training requirements for Notaries. Please do let me know if you require any further information otherwise I wish you the best of luck in your future career whether this is as a Notary Public or not.
Hi
I too am interested in becoming a nortary.
Can you tell me if you still need the 2 yrs supervision ? And are there any exemptions ???
Hi,
Great to hear you are interested in becoming a UK Notary Public. Once you have passed the Notary Public exams there is then a period od 2 years of supervision for every new Notary Public. There are no exemptipns and this is a “training” and “supervision” period each UK Notary has to undergo.
Please let me know if you require any further information otherwise I wish you well on becoming a Notary Public.
Is having a degree essential to start the notary qualification course?
Within England & Wales most Notary Publics are trained and quailified solitors. Therefore Notary Publics in London will have undertaken both an undergraduate and postgraduate qualification. There is also specific qualification which is needed to become a Notary Public.
Can I suggest you read my Notary Public London – Guide to becoming a Notary Public by clicking this link
Please let me know if you need any further information about becoming a Notary Public and the necessary qualifications.
Hello,
How long it will wait to endorse me ? There is a limit of practitioners as notaries in England ?
Hello Nina,
Thank you for getting in touch again. I believe we have already answered your questions on this one but if anything is unclear please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Kind Regards
Matthew Pryke
London Notary Public
Hello,
How long it will wait to endorse me ? Is there a limit of practitioners as notaries in England ?
Hi Nina,
Thank you for getting in touch and requesting further information about qualifying as a UK Notary Public. You may find it useful to refer to my previous guide to becoming a Notary Public https://mdpryke-notary.com/2010/10/notary-public-london-%e2%80%93-guide-to-becoming-a-notary-public-part-one/
Also I have produced a guide to the number of Notary Publics in the UK which also I hope will be of use https://mdpryke-notary.com/2013/01/free-public-notary-guide-how-many-notaries/
In asnwer to your questions. To qualify as a Notary Public will take 2 years of study. The is not currently any limit placed on the number of Notary Publics practising in England and Wales. I understand from the Faculty Office there are currently just under 800 Notaries in the whole of England & Wales, a large concetration of which are London Notaries. I understand the Notary Public profession has recently been joined by approximately 30 new graduates.
Please do get in touch if you would like to receive any further information.