Comprehensive
Notary and Legalisation Services
Our firm provides notarial services for individuals and businesses requiring document authentication.
Notary Roberto Gaglione is qualified in England and Wales and holds regular clinics throughout England, including Peterborough, Cambridge, Sutton, Woking, and Worthing, in addition to our London and Bedford offices.
We prepare and authenticate powers of attorney, certify documents, witness signatures, administer oaths and declarations, and provide legalisation services for documents required in the UK, Italy, and other jurisdictions. Our notary works in Italian, English, and Spanish.
Our notarial services are provided by our team. Each member’s qualifications and areas of practice are set out on their individual profiles.
Notarisation Services
Regardless of the service required, the process typically follows these key stages:
Initial enquiry – Please contact us with details of your document, the country in which it is intended for use, and who will be signing. We will confirm what is required and provide a fee estimate. Enquiries are normally dealt with on the same day.
Document review – Please send us your documents in advance of your appointment, together with any instructions you have received. This enables us to identify any issues at an early stage and avoid unnecessary delays. Please allow 1–2 working days before your appointment.
Appointment – Please attend in person with your original identification documents. The Notary will verify your identity, carry out the necessary checks, witness your signature, and apply their seal. Most appointments take between 30 and 60 minutes.
Legalisation (where required) – If your document requires an Apostille from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, or further legalisation by a foreign embassy or consulate, we will arrange this following notarisation. Please see the timescales set out below.
Completion and return – Your completed documents will be available for collection or will be returned to you by post. We will confirm the method and likely timing at the outset.
We provide the following services for business clients:
Witnessing a power of attorney
Notarisation of company documents
Assignments or registration of trade marks
Apostille and legalisation service
Affidavits, statutory declarations, and sworn statements
Share issues certified by a Notary Public
Property transactions, transfers, purchases, and sales
Any other documents intended for use abroad which require a notarial seal
We provide the following services for individual clients:
- Setting up a power of attorney
Permission for one parent to travel abroad with children
Certified copies of documents such as examination certificates
Transfers of land, houses, or shares
Lost passports, share certificates, or other documents
Statutory declarations made before a Notary Public
Declarations of single status when getting married abroad
Oaths
Certified copies of passports, for example to open a bank account abroad
Apostille and legalisations at consulates
Any other documents intended for use abroad which require a notarial seal
If a document requiring notarisation is in a foreign language, it may be necessary for it to be translated by a qualified translator, who will then sign a statutory declaration certifying that it is a true and complete translation.
In some cases the Notary may be able to witness the signing of a foreign language document and prepare a covering certificate confirming that they have witnessed the signing and verified the signatory’s identity – provided the Notary is completely satisfied that the signatory is fully conversant with the language of the document and has been properly advised on its contents.
Legalisation Services
Many countries require notarised documents to be legalised before they will be accepted.
Legalisation is a further check to confirm that the Notary’s signature is genuine, carried out by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). Once confirmed, a certificate known as an Apostille is attached to the document.
Documents may also be checked by foreign embassies to make sure that the notary’s signature matches the one on their records. The requirement for this will depend on the foreign country involved. Once the authenticity of the signature is confirmed a certificate is attached, called an “Apostille”.
Typical timescales for legalisation:
FCDO Apostille — typically 3–5 working days; an express service may be available.
Embassy or consulate legalisation — timescales vary by country, typically 5–15 working days. We will advise you of the likely timescale for your specific destination at the outset.
In accordance with the Money Laundering Regulations, Notaries are required to hold sufficient evidence of the identity and address of all clients before undertaking any work.
Each person whose signature is to be certified must produce one of the following original photo identity documents at their appointment:
- Passport
Driving licence (with photo card)
National identity card (EEA member states)
Armed forces pass (with photo and signature)
Other government-issued identity document (with photo and signature)
Residence permit
Benefit book or original notification letter from the Benefits Agency
Together with one of the following as proof of address:
- Bank statement or letter from a bank
Utility bill or council tax bill (not a mobile telephone bill)
Tenancy agreement or Housing Association rent card
HMRC tax demand or self-assessment statement
For corporate clients, evidence of due incorporation is also required, such as a Certificate of Incorporation, an extract from the company register, the latest audited accounts, or evidence of regulation by a body such as the Law Society or the Financial Conduct Authority. Each individual signatory will also be required to produce personal identification as above.
A fee estimate can usually be provided in advance – please see our Terms & Conditions for full details of how fees are calculated. To enable us to provide an estimate, please let us know:
- What service you require (e.g. witnessing signatures, certifying copy documents, obtaining an Apostille)
- The type of document concerned (e.g. a Power of Attorney)
- Who is signing – an individual or a company?
- How many documents are involved
- Which country the documents are intended for
Alessandro Gaglione
Partner – Gaglione Notaries & Solicitors, London
Solicitor & Avvocato
Alessandro is a qualified solicitor in England and Wales and a practising lawyer in Italy (avvocato). Founder of SLIG EDUCATION, he is currently a partner at Gaglione Notaries & Solicitors, where he specialises in commercial and corporate and real estate law. Alessandro regularly lectures at seminars and training events in Italy and the UK, with a focus on legal terminology and the English legal system. Alessandro also works closely with the Anglo-Italian community, regularly assisting London-based Italians on pro bono matters and is actively involved in the Italian community of London as part of COMITES.
Giuseppe Gaglione
Partner – Gaglione Notaries & Solicitors,
Solicitor & Avvocato
Giuseppe is a qualified solicitor in England and Wales and a practising lawyer in Italy (avvocato). He is currently a partner at Gaglione Notaries & Solicitors, and specializes in cross border inheritance legal issues involving Trusts & Estates. Giuseppe has been endorsed by the International Division of the Law Society of England and Wales and is often invited as a speaker to events organised by the Consulate General of Italy in London. In addition, Giuseppe lectures at seminars and events in Italy and in the UK and also provides pro bono legal advice.
Roberto Gaglione
Partner – Gaglione Notaries & Solicitors, London
Public Notary & Avvocato
Roberto is a qualified solicitor in England and Wales and a practising lawyer in Italy (Avvocato). Roberto specialised in advising on asset tracing and debt recovery in Italy and in the UK and prior to this had gained significant experience at a leading Italian law firm. He is an important point of contact point for Italian and international clients based in the United States of America and in Italy. In addition to private client matters, Roberto advises his clients on commerce and distribution law.
Words of appreciation
from the people we've worked for
Pro Bono
Roberto Gaglione and his father and brothers are heavily involved in supporting the Italian community present in the UK and provide free legal assistance on Italian law matters at the Italian St. Peter's Chuch in Londonitalianchurch.org.uk
They organise meetings once every fortnight at the St. Peter's Church on Sundays from 12:30. No appointment is needed and people are free to attend any of the scheduled sessions. Please see our newsletter for the dates.
It is also possible to contact St. Peter's Italian Church directly at www.italianchurch.org.uk or: probono@gaglione.it
Gaglione Notaries
LONDON Offices
22 Tudor Street
London - EC4Y 0AY
United Kingdom
BEDFORD Offices
Bedford Heights,
Brickhill Drive,
Bedford MK41 7PH
United Kingdom
ROME
Representative Office
Tel: +39 06 8419662
Our firm is regulated by the Master of Faculties through the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Faculty Office issues practicing certificates to all notaries public in England and Wales and we carry professional indemnity insurance to £1M. The website of the Faculty Office (https://www.facultyoffice.org.uk/) has a list of all practising notaries.
GAGLIONE NOTARIES & SOLICITORS is the trading name of SLIG LAW LLP and its associated entities. Registered office: 22 Tudor Street, London, England, EC4Y 0AY, ICO registration number ZA150930 (“Slig Law”) or its affiliates.
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