If you are doing business across the world, you will often need to provide proof of your identity. A notarised passport copy is often the answer and will help ensure your business transaction goes smoothly.
A passport is an identifying document issued by your country of citizenship to verify your identity and allow you to travel. A passport is used to allow you to travel outside of your country as well as regain entry into your country of citizenship.
All passports include:
Due to the different categories of British citizenship, there are various different types of British passports that may be issued to individuals:
In addition, there are different types of passports that can be issued depending on the age, occupation, and situation of the individual, including:
Outside of the UK, foreign passports will be issued by government departments in their respective countries.
A notarised copy of a passport can be used for a variety of reasons.
The most common is as a means to prove your identity for KYC purposes. As it is a government-issued document, containing key personal data such as your name, date of birth, place of birth, photograph and signature, it is often regarded as the best form of photographic identification you can provide.
You may be asked to provide a notarised passport copy by itself, or it may accompany other documentation that you need to send abroad. For example, it is common for a passport copy to be attached to a power of attorney that is to be used abroad. For certain countries and transactions, you may even need to provide a notarised copy of every page of your passport.
A notarised copy of a passport is where the notary inspects the original passport, makes a copy, and confirms that the copy is a true and accurate copy of the original passport that has been inspected.
After the passport copy has been notarised, it can be submitted to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to be apostilled. An Apostille in the UK is a stamp issued only by the FCDO, and it will confirm the signature and seal of the notary on the notarised passport copy. This provides a secondary level of authentication on your passport, which means that when it is provided to the requesting authority abroad, they can be sure that the passport copy is authentic.
In the UK, British passports are issued by HM Passport Office. There have been various issuers of British passports over the years with the same function but operating under different names. You can confirm the service that provided your passport by checking the photographic page of your passport. The passport issuing authority will be listed here under one of the following names:
Passports will only be issued as physical documents. They will not be issued as electronic documents.
To notarise a passport, you will need to provide the original passport to the notary. We can notarise both British and non-British passports. The notary will inspect it and make a colour photocopy. Next, the notary will provide a notarial certification confirming that the copy is a true and accurate copy of the original.
You may have been given specific wording to use for the certification, and if so, you will need to provide this to the notary and the notary will include it in the notarisation. Specific wording might include the notary confirming that the photo bears a true likeness to the passport holder.
Once the document has been notarised, our legalisation team will personally submit your document at the Legalisation Office of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to be apostilled. We provide both same-day service and a standard 3-5 working day service.
For certain countries, you may also need the notarised/apostilled passport to be legalised by the Embassy of the country in which it is going to be used. Check out country requirements for more information. Our team can help with legalisation at over 50 embassies across the UK.
Get in touch today and we will answer any questions you have about the process and help you meet your requirements.