Notary Public Services
A trusted notary public will be solely responsible for authentication of signatures, statutory declarations, legislations, drafting power of attorney, and witnessing important signatures for various business dealings, contracts, and affidavits. You will need verification and attestation of all kinds of documents for both personal and business dealings in the State of Qatar, including commercial and professional paperwork required by the government. A reliable notary public will be able to offer trustworthy services when it comes to certifying true copies of documents, as well as in attesting documents for both educational and non-educational purposes.
To ensure that all of your official paperwork and important documents are in good hands, be sure to seek the assistance of a notary public that not only has years of solid experience in the field, but also has the right credentials to ensure that they are legitimate and that they don’t simply operate on a fly-by-night basis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are notary services?
Notary services provide assistance with witnessing signatures, managing certified true copies and power of attorney, legalizing drafts and affidavits, attestation of certificates, and so on to ensure that all documents submitted are confirmed valid for both personal and commercial purposes.
What is educational attestation?
This involves certification of education documents like diplomas and degrees for official purposes. This helps to ensure that there is no fraud committed when submitting official documents.
What is non-educational certification?
This includes certification of documents like passports, birth certificates, death certificates, marriage and divorce certificates, medical reports, and so on when applying for visas and permits in the country.
What is the role of the notary during attestation?
Any document that originates from the home country of the applicant needs to be attested. The process includes a notary validation in the home country of the applicant as well as validation from the Qatar embassy and the Foreign Affairs Ministry from Qatar.
Can a notary witness a document?
A notary that is at least 18 years old and of sound mind can serve as a witness to a document, but he/she cannot notarize that same document. You should have different notaries for both purposes to avoid any conflict of interest.
Why do I need a witness when signing, anyway?
A witness will ensure that there is no forgery involved in the signing as he or she will observe the actual, physical signing of the document. This is crucial should any disputes arise from the contract or between the parties signing the contract.
What is the role of a notary when preparing contracts and affidavits?
The notary public will be responsible for verifying and preparing legally binding contracts and affidavits (as well as the Power of Attorney) so that there will be no question as to the legitimacy of the documents in case of any dispute.
What is the purpose of administering an oath in front of a notary?
Verbal declarations and agreements may be difficult to prove or bind, which is why an official pledge or promise should be administered by a notary so that these agreements or statements can be recorded and legally binding.
How is a solemn declaration carried out?
The person must declare “yes” to the question of “Do you make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing it to be true and knowing that it is of the same force and effect as if made under oath?” in front of the notary.
What are the requirements for a statutory declaration?
You will need to have valid identification with all of the relevant information to verify who you are, where you live, and what you look like. Make sure that you have the necessary supporting documents should this be asked from you.
01
Attestation & Certification
Should you wish to apply for particular visas, conduct business activities, or operate on a commercial level, you will need duly attested documents to ensure that all of your permits and paperwork are valid. Authentication is a necessary step to ensure that all of the information provided is certified true.
For instance, when it comes to educational documents for further studies, you will need to have your degree and your diploma attested for validity. You will need original certificates that were issued from the educational institute where you completed your studies, as well as the original transcript or mark sheet. A bonafide letter from the applicant will also need to be attested. Non-educational attestation, on the other hand, includes marriage certificates, birth certificates, salary certificates, and even medical records and reports.
All of these and more need to be done by duly authorized service providers and notaries to ensure that the certification will be accepted by the governing bodies upon submission.
02
Witnessing A Signature
Signature witnessing is defined as the process by which a certified document signer appears in person before a notary. The document to be signed must be present to the notary; after which, the notary will identify the signer with the correct documentation. If everything is in order, the notary will witness the signer signing the official paperwork. This doesn’t involve any kind of verbal ceremony; only the signing of the document as witness will suffice.
This is extremely crucial because a witness is a third party to the document being signed in a legal setting. The witness cannot be involved in any way in the contract, and must therefore not benefit from the document in any way or be related to the signing parties; this is why a notary is crucial for documents such as a Last Will and Testament when inheriting assets, property deeds, mortgage agreements, or a business contract.
03
Certified True Copy
A certified true copy is basically a copy of paperwork that a notary has duly verified. Certification means that it is stamped and signed, indicating that it is a true copy of the original document. This is important when managing documents regarding identification, such as birth certificates, driver’s licenses, and passports for immigration and professional purposes.
A notary will compare the copy and the original document, and confirm that the copy is a true copy. Once this is verified, the notary will stamp his or her confirmation declaring that it is a “Certified True Copy of Original Document”. It will be signed and dated as well.
Note that you will need to present the hard copy of the document as the scanned copy or a photo of the document will not be enough. Nowadays, it can be relatively easy to forge documents or alter the information in any kind of paperwork through various digital means. With a soft copy of a certain file, it can be almost impossible to tell whether or not something is truly genuine—hence the need for an actual physical copy. This is to make sure that the notary can confirm that the copy is 100% real and not doctored in any way.
04
Preparation Of POA, Contracts & Affidavits
The signature of the principal or the individual who will be initiating the Power of Attorney is required to be notarized. Even witness signatures need to be notarized by a legitimate notary as well, which is why you should always seek the services of an accredited notary to make sure that your documents can be processed without a hitch. A POA grants ownership authority and responsibility to important matters such as a property deed, your house, or your car, which is why this should never be taken lightly. It may also be a medical POA, in which case, having a legitimate POA will be a matter of life and death—literally.
The same is true for contracts and affidavits. You will need the services of a provider who is knowledgeable in, say, family law or business regulations in order for your contract and affidavits to be notarized and prepared without mistakes. You should take the greatest care when choosing your notary agent for your own peace of mind.
05
Administering Of Oaths
As one of the most common notarial activities, affirmations and administering of oaths involve an official promise that is worded properly to ensure its truth, validity, and as a pledge to a higher power. An affirmation is essentially a formalized vow. Oaths administered through notarial acts are legally binding, so it’s crucial to undergo this process should you wish to be certain of verbal agreements.
In this process, the notary may ask the oath-taker or the affirmant to raise their right hand to pledge. The oath-taker may also place their right hand over their heart. Note that the affirmant must physically be present in front of the notary. These oaths cannot be done virtually or remotely by phone or by email. The notarization will be duly recorded according to notary laws. It is therefore important to have a trusted notary administer these processes to ensure that oaths can be executed and proven should any kind of dispute arise.
06
Statutory Declaration
What is a statutory declaration? This simply means that a Notary Public or a Commissioner for Oaths and Affidavits will be taking your solemn affirmation or your oath whenever you sign an affidavit. The notary will certify that the oath or the solemn affirmation in the statutory declaration has been administered correctly. An oath may be witnessed with the question, “Do you swear that the contents of this affidavit as subscribed by you are true? So help you God?”
The statutory declaration is a written document where the truth of any fact is asserted in a description of a situation. These are normally used in general circumstances rather than officially in court as with affidavits. However, it still has the same legal effect as evidence in a court in front of a judge. Note that you must physically appear in person before the notary as the person making the declaration. This means that the notary should be able to identify the individual and witness the signature of the affirmant making the declaration.
07
Documents for International Use
Should you need any kind of document that you will be using abroad or for foreign purposes, these must be officially notarized by a notary public. A government body that deals with foreign affairs will need to authenticate these signatures and the confirmation for the notary public. The notary service must also be duly listed in the government’s master list of licensed notaries for the signature to be considered valid. You will need approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well.
The nature of notary public will be confirmed, and the documents will be duly stamped and signed for legitimacy. These documents will undergo processing at the Qatar Embassy or your relevant foreign jurisdiction to confirm that the signature affixed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is valid, and then it will also provide its stamp and seal. Note that most of these official documents will need to be translated into the Arabic language by a certified translator for it to be ready for use in Qatar.