notary cost?

Hello,
I'm able to apply for citizenship next month and I'm trying to cover all the bases for the application.
One of these is the English Proficiency Requirement and that it requires a notary to certify my University
Diploma.
I went to the Notary Society website as suggested by the Home Office website which can be found at
http://www.thenotariessociety.org.uk/.

I've emailed a couple of them in my area today but have not heard anything back yet (yes, I'm inpatient!).
Anyway, does anyone have experience with the cost?  There seemed to be different categories of membership:
Full, Honorary, etc.  Does this make any difference to cost, etc?

Does anyone have a figure on how much it would cost to do this?

Thanks,
Matt

I paid £60 to get some documents signed.  Can't remember what her 'level' was, but she did say that was the 'going rate' - and she was very nice (Holborn area).

And to think, you can pay a notary in the US a few bucks and they'll notarize a document!

Matt

Tell me about it. 
(I remember!)

Most large firms of Solicitors have a notary, but as you are an American citizen, can you not get them done for free in London and the Embassy? (unless you are miles away of course, but the trip and day out might even be cost effective?)

It was a few years when I used a solicitor's notary and the charges were horrendous, about £20 per document 

I suppose it depends on the documents... I work in a law office but one of the lawyers said he couldn't sign it and referred me to the notary to make sure it would be accepted... so I don't know about the Embassy.

The American Embassy in London isn't free but it may be cheaper. I had to have DH get something notarized for me and he did it at the Embassy.

http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_web/acs/scs/notary.htm

I've got this one... All banks are required to have a notary on premises (at least in the US). Most banks will let you have free notary services if you have an account!  I just had 5 docs notarized for free....

Happy notarizzzzzzing....

-zigs

I'm pretty sure banks don't have notaries here in the UK, unfortunately.  I called up a local soclicter when I needed something notarised, and it cost me £50 for one document.  This was on Regent St in London though so you might be able to find it cheaper somewhere.  Soliciters are your best bet though, I think. 

I've got this one... All banks are required to have a notary on premises (at least in the US). Most banks will let you have free notary services if you have an account! I just had 5 docs notarized for free....

Happy notarizzzzzzing....

-zigs

Not in the UK! We dont even have a single notary in Coventry City. Our solicitor said there used to be one but he retired and now we have to go to Brum and expect to pay about £60.
The US Embassy charges $30 I believe which is still a total rip off since you can go to most banks in the USA and get something notarized for under $5!

Do you reckon, if I were to take my University Diploma to a notary in the US, would the Home Office accept this notarization?  Or would it have to be notarized by an officially recognized notary in the UK?

I ask because I'm going to the States next week so I could just bring my diploma and have it done there.

Thanks,
Matt

I ask because I'm going to the States next week so I could just bring my diploma and have it done there.

 

Can't they make a copy of it here?

http://www.uk-yankee.com/articles/index.php?itemid=38&catid=6#trackback

It's been getting great reviews.  £20 to copy everything and they give all your stuff back in the same day...

Why would your diploma have to be notarized? Doesn't it already have the university seal, plus signatures from a bunch of big shots at the university?

when I applied for my citizenship in 2003, our solicitor copied everything, including passports, stamped them with something similiar to a notary stamp and signed them.  Altogether it came to £20 and the Home Office accepted it without any problems.  In fact, my application was accepted and approved in less than a month.

I think I've confused myself in the process of applying for citizenship.  This was because a colleague has just applied for citizenship and had his University Diploma notarized.  But I found out the only reason he did this was because his full name wasn't printed on the Diploma so the Home Office would balk at that.  Additionally, he is from India and even though the course was taught in English and had English writing on it he was unsure so he went to the solicitors.

When I go to Brent to do the Nationality Checking Service I'll just have them send in my original Diploma to the Home Office, much cheaper!

Cheers,
Matt