Recommend me please - witness to statutory declaration in London (SW/SE)

September 29, 2022 3:10 AM

I need a witness for my partnership support form INZ1178. Please would you recommend a solicitor/notary that will charge a sensible amount? A notary in SE1 quoted £100! I live in SW, work in SE1. Thank you!
posted by Carravanquelo to Law & Government (8 answers total)

Best answer: If a notary is required, I'm not surprised by a £100 fee. I paid £70 in 2017 for an affidavit to be notarised by Vanner Perez in London SE1. Notarisation in England is a professional service provided by a relatively small number of qualified lawyers (unlike in Scotland, where almost all solicitors are notaries).

But you might not need a notary. If it is just witnessing a signature, perhaps a solicitor can do that — you would need to check the guidance for your form, or with the embassy.

In 2017, I paid £15 to Bryan O'Connor & Co, also in SE1, to certify a copy of an identification document. That price might be more acceptable. Their office had a vaguely chaotic, Dickensian vibe and they don't appear to have a website.
posted by Klipspringer at 3:39 AM on September 29, 2022 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thank you both! It definitely doesn't specifically need to be notary, a solicitor is perfect. £15 sounds much more reasonable. I have emailed a few solicitors but none have replied.
posted by Carravanquelo at 4:17 AM on September 29, 2022

Just pop into any solicitors' office and ask if there's a solicitor available to witness your signature. When I was in private practice this used to happen all the time. Takes five minutes.
posted by essexjan at 4:32 AM on September 29, 2022 [5 favorites]

Or phone up and ask if they have someone available.
posted by essexjan at 4:35 AM on September 29, 2022 [2 favorites]

Hey, I know what this form is. And unfortunately "If a statutory declaration is to be used outside of England and Wales, it will need to be signed in the presence of a notary public". Sorry.

Source: I'm Kiwi who has sponsored before.
posted by socky_puppy at 10:12 AM on September 29, 2022

Response by poster: Oh nooo socky puppy. Can you tell me where this quote is from? I didn't catch that on the paperwork :(
posted by Carravanquelo at 10:51 AM on September 29, 2022

We're in London too. My interpretation (not legal advice!) when we were going through this pre-COVID was statutory declarations are valid witnessed by solicitors for UK purposes, but not for use outside of the UK as they are not trained as notaries are. However, if you were signing this in New Zealand, a lawyer would suffice.
posted by socky_puppy at 11:14 AM on September 29, 2022 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: The visa was granted with a solicitor signature that cost £10. Hooray!
posted by Carravanquelo at 7:36 AM on May 8, 2023 [1 favorite]