James Seymour, solicitor has been appointed by the Supreme Court as a Notary Public and provides notarial services in the City and County of Galway.

Please feel free to email James at jtxseymour@gmail.com with any queries or call him on 086 8152932. Our Notary Public is available outside normal office hours and on weekends and can, in certain circumstances, come to your office/home (by prior appointment only).

What is a Notary Public ?

A Notary Public is a person appointed by the Supreme Court to witness certain documents and to act for parties in non-contentious matters.

When a Notary Public certifies or witnesses a document, he/she is said to have “notarised” the document. It can also be referred to as a “notarial act”.

When do I need the services of a Notary Public ?

The services of a Notary Public are usually needed when a client is signing a document for use in a country other than the country in which the client resides. Often the signing of such a document will need to be witnessed by a Notary Public. This is a person whose signature is internationally recognized and accepted.

For what kind of transactions do I normally need the services of a Notary Public ?

You will normally need a notary where you are signing documents for use in a foreign country or where you need to send a certified copy of documents to a foreign country.

The normal types of transactions where a Notary Public is needed are as follows,

• • Buying and selling foreign property or real estate

• • Setting up bank accounts in another country

• • Contracts for sales or supply of goods and services in a foreign country

• • Authenticating documents for use in a foreign country

• • Witnessing of affidavits or declarations for use in a foreign country

• • Executing powers of attorney

• • The making of a ships protest – this is a document recording the occurrence of an incident on board a ship.

• • Foreign adoptions – normally a Notary Public will be required to certify identity documents and authenticate other documents required by a foreign adoption authority where an Irish couple are adopting a child from a foreign country

The list of transactions and matters is non-exhaustive. The fee charged by a Notary Public varies according to the type and amount of work undertaken by the Notary Public.

WHAT IS AN APOSTILLE

An Apostille is a certificate issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs verifying the genuineness of the signature and/or seal of a public officer. The Department of Foreign Affairs is the ONLY body which can issue an Apostille in Ireland.

How to get your Document(s) Apostilled (authenticated)

The Department provides a service by registered post and also a walk-in service. Please consult the Department’s website (www.dfa.ie) for further information in respect of opening hours and the fees charged.

You can also call the Department at 01 408 2174.

Apostille Fees
The Department of Foreign Affairs charge a fee of for each Apostille. There may be other charges depending on the documents. Log on to www.dfa.ie and click on ‘Services to the Public’.