If you are planning to live or work abroad it is likely that you may need the services of a notary public to complete the necessary paperwork and other formalities.
Jonathan Durkin, notary public and solicitor at Prosperity Law Liverpool and Manchester, explains what documents you may need before being allowed to live or work abroad and how a notary public can help ensure your documents are in order or to authenticate them.
Documents usually required
All foreign countries have rules about the documents you need to produce if you want to live or work abroad. The requirements will vary from country to country, but as a rule most countries will require you to produce:
your passport;
– the passport of your spouse, partner or children if they will be accompanying you;
– certificates of personal experience or academic qualifications; and
– references.
Some countries have additional requirements that are particular to them. For example, if you are female and planning to live or work in the United Arab Emirates or the Gulf region and you will be taking your children with you, but not the children’s father, the authorities will require a signed letter of consent from the children’s father before they will allow you to reside in the country.
You may also be required to produce additional documents if you intend to buy or rent a property while living or working abroad. For example, many countries require you to authorise a local lawyer or agent to deal with the property transaction on your behalf by granting them a power of attorney.
If you intend to remarry while you are living or working abroad, you will also need to produce your decree absolute or the death certificate of your former spouse, together with a certificate of no impediment.
How can a notary public help?
Most documents you will need to produce to live or work abroad will have to be verified – formally known as ‘notarised’ – to satisfy the authorities in the foreign country that they are legally correct and authentic.
Even if there is no requirement for notarisation, you may prefer to produce a notarised copy of a document rather than the original to guard against the risk of the original document being lost or destroyed. This is particularly likely to be the case with passports and personal certificates.
Jonathan Durkin can provide a range of notarial services to help you make a move to live or work abroad. For a confidential discussion about your plans and personal requirements, please contact Jonathan on 0151 958 0057 or email Jonathan@PropserityLaw.com
The contents of this article are for the purposes of general awareness only. They do not purport to constitute legal or professional advice. The law may have changed since this article was published. Readers should not act on the basis of the information included and should take appropriate professional advice upon their own particular circumstances.
