Is there a US notary in Paris other than the US Embassy?

July 2, 2012 10:01 AM

My friend, a US citizen living in Paris, is trying to find a US notary to notarize a document by the end of business tomorrow. The US Embassy will notarize documents, but not on such short notice. He could also use a French notary, but require having the document "officially " translated and while he is pursuing this option, he's not sure that he can find someone to do it by tomorrow. The easiest solution would be locating a US notary, but thus far, he's had no luck (he's been looking for several days). Are there any Metafiltarians who know of a US notary in Paris?
posted by Nicholas West to law & government (6 answers total)

Check Paris branches of US Banks, or law firms that have international business in the US. Those will be your best bet.

Perhaps American Express. There's a branch in Paris and they were AMAZINGLY helpful when I was visiting.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 10:04 AM on July 2, 2012

If US Banks or Amex cant help, then call US Law firms with offices in Paris
posted by Flood at 10:11 AM on July 2, 2012

I was coming to suggest AmEx, too.
posted by cocoagirl at 10:40 AM on July 2, 2012

AmEx is a fabulous suggestion, and I've just given him a call with that idea. He's going to the main office now. He had already tried several law firms with no luck.
posted by Nicholas West at 11:04 AM on July 2, 2012

Sometimes the "official translation" can be done by any one attesting that he/she is able to translate. Your friend might be allowed to do this himself.

For example, my husband's birth certificate was translated by a friend and the friend attested he had the ability to translate. This was used for my husband's green card.
posted by Monday at 9:57 PM on July 2, 2012

It's different in France Monday: translations of official documents have to be carried out by people approved by the state IIRC. You can't just translate the document yourself (or get a friend to do it) and expect the legal system to accept your translation as being valid.
posted by pharm at 5:25 AM on July 3, 2012