Certified Solicitors attest a document to confirm that it’s a true copy of the original. The certified solicitor document certification is done only after checking the originals and /or in some cases a copy of additional verification checks.
Many documents need to be legalized with an apostille. This document needs to bear the stamp of an officially recognized institution or signature of a public official or even a solicitor. The copies of the following documents can be certified by the solicitor:
- Passports
- Driving licenses
- Letters from government departments
- Banks, credit card statements
- Gas, electricity bills and/or council tax bills
- Letters from the hospital or doctors
What is meant by Solicitor Certification?
A solicitor will check a document and add a statement why he/she is certifying the document and add his/her signature. All signatures from the solicitor should be valid and genuine citing the intended purpose spelt out clearly in the attaching document. For any document to be certified, it should meet certain criteria for apostille services.
The solicitor certifying the documents should ensure the following:
- Possess a practicing certificate that is valid
- Sign the document in the UK
- Indicate their action in the process. i.e., witnessing, certifying a copy, confirming as original, etc.
- Use their signature and not the company’s signature
- Indicate the certification date
- Indicate their name as well as the address of their company
- Must ensure the signature is in the original ink. It is not enough to use copy or digital signatures.
Why is certifying the documents in the UK through a UK Solicitor necessary?
Documents are certified by the UK certified solicitor, where the solicitor certifies the documents with a UK apostille certificate:
- The solicitor ensures that the documents getting certified are valid and authenticated.
- The certification process by the solicitor completes the process of preventing fraud and misuse. These are usually applicable to legal proceedings, financial transactions.
- Legal requirements met by solicitors in the UK with an apostille.
The apostille document is legalized for international use as per the 1961 Hague Convention. Once the document has been legalized, it can be officially used in other countries that are part of the Hague Convention.
Besides, there may be some charges to be paid to a solicitor to authenticate the documents. However, the costs may be different for passports, driving licenses, national identity cards and resident permits. Moreover, you or the applicant may need to wait for an online check to be completed.
Where would you require a certified copy signed by the solicitor?
You or the applicant may be asked to produce the certified copy of identification in cases like,
- Applying for a bank account
- Applying for mortgage
- When a solicitor instructed by you acts for you in certain matters
- Applying for a beneficiary of a deceased estate
- When registering for lasting Power of Attorney with a Bank.
Helpline Group in the UK helps you to complete the necessary steps needed to attest your certificates with an apostille certified by a solicitor in the UK. With an experience of more than 25 years, 300+experts and spread globally, we further your certification with apostille services by the solicitor for legalizing your documents.