How much should I notary public charge to witness an application form being signed?

[Italiancitizenship]

In this case it's an Italian passport renewal form which needs to be witnessed by my ex as our daughter is under 18.

Does anyone know what someone would normally charge for this - I have read on gov.uk that the charged should be pretty low, but wanted to get a rough idea before getting quotes.

I was also wondering if anyone could recommend a notary in London? Does the fact that the form will be in Italian mean that they have to understand it (this might be a silly question as in the obvious answer is yes)?

Thanks a lot :)

Apologies for the typo in the thread title aargh

Not sure if it is equivalent but at work a few years ago I had to get several forms notarised - used someone from in-house Legal (free) for most of them but the London one we had to pay and £250 to £500 was the range quoted. It was literally a few minutes to have ID checked - ones in Scotland were stamped by the notary, London one was very fancy (technically according to Legal it was apostille) with ribbon and I think wax. It might have been cheaper if the person had gone to them rather than come to our office (alternatively it's possible we were getting a reduced corporate rate) - I was under 'get this done now' pressure so cost wasn't really a consideration.

I'd call a few places for prices. What about the embassy - they might have advice for citizens who need this done?

Thanks a lot @OOAOML - I have been sending off for quotes. Then I realised that yes there is a walk in service at the embassy which is free. I haven't quite understood if the form then needs to be apostilled but I am finding out. The only problem with the walk in service is that I hope I don't need to be there as well as ex and I not on the best of terms - am finding out about this too.

Thanks for your message.

I can't see the walk in service at the embassy not needing signatories to be there in person, but maybe you can each go separately? If you need a notary the best place to look is The Notaries Society website.

They don't need to understand what the document says, they will simply certify it is you who has signed in front of them. You'll need ID with you.

I deal with getting document certified (notary) and legalised (apostille and sometimes embassy as well) all the time at work. A solicitor will witness your signature for £5 so be sure you understand the exact requirement before you arrange an expensive appointment.

I'd hope that having it done at the embassy would be enough as they will be verifying the ID. Hope they can sort it for you.

Thanks both - yes if I have to go to the consulate at the same time as exdh I will somehow have to deal with it but the thought makes me really anxious.

@WeAreTheHeroes - yes I see what you mean about unnecessary expense - one of the places I emailed have replied already and have quoted £150! Thanks for the heads up about the Notaries Society.

£70-£100 per signature is cheapest we have found in last 5 years, not in London. I have to get forms notarised for US Embassy. I don't think the Notary needs to read Italian, they merely stamp that they have verified the signer's ID & seen them sign that form. You want a big wax seal from Notary.

Can the Italian national parent get appointment at Embassy: yes they will also charge a lot.

ps: really phone around a lot to get a good price. Our best goto Notary was semi-retired, met people in a room in his house, and spotted a way for us to do 2-for-1s : when we put 2 kids' names on same form allowing them to have passports, so only got charged for that one signature for both kids.

£150 in London sounds very plausible. I have a bad feeling we paid £120 in 2019, actually, and that was cheapest I could find at the time.

Thanks @lljkk - yes if it comes to finding a notary I will really phone around - I found another website where the basic fee for notarisation only seemed to be £60 - I have emailed them.

However I think that the walk in service at the consulate is free so I am double checking that, and also whether I need to be present too. It would avoid the fee for both notarisation and having the signed form apostilled.

You don't want or need a 'big wax seal' at all. Most notaries apply a seal disk (paper) which they emboss with their own seal. They use staples rather than ribbon these days. I see all sorts of fancy treatments of docs from lots of different countries. These days being able to easily scan and email documents means some of the more elaborate ones are less of a thing.

AFAIK, The person signing must be present with their in-date govt issue ID. The Notary must witness the signature happen. Are you saying your daughter might attend with her not-Italian parent (other parent is signing the form?). Let us know how that plan goes. It's twisting my brain because then the service is for your DD as the Italian national, yet she isn't the signer and normally the service is provided to the signatory.

Brill if you can get it for free, too.

ha, tell that to the American Embassy, WeAreTheHeroes

It would be my British ex husband signing my passport renewal form (I have dual citizenship) at the Italian consulate - he needs to sign it as we have a daughter who is under 18 - some kind of safeguarding legal/bureaucratic requirement.

I paid £135

@lljkk that may be a US requirement but it isn't in Europe.

I paid about £150 to get a notary to notarise documents for my son's US passport (in West Midlands).

Please be really careful about the exact rules. Is someone witnessing a signature? Or validating your identity? Or validating your ex's identity? Is the form going to the Italian or UK government? They may have a list of firms that they recognise and they may need you to use a recognised agent. Do you need translation as well?

Check whether it is important that your notary is recognised in some certificated or whatever capacity for Italian documentation.

I have used a Spanish qualified notary in the UK and £150 and £240 are numbers that come to mind for services I required.