Notary Public recommendation please?

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Mar 2012
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    Notary Public recommendation please?

    Hello all,

    I need to get a notarised copy of my Hong Kong Birth Certificate.

    Can anyone recommend to me a Notary Public that they have used before?

    And yes, I need to get an officially notarised copy. Not a "certified true copy". And it is not sufficient to visit the Commissioner of Oaths.

    I did search the forum but only found old threads without much in the way of helpful information, or just directions to the Commissioner of Oaths...

    Thanks very much in advance!


  2. #2

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    Quote Originally Posted by wunder:
    Hello all,

    I need to get a notarised copy of my Hong Kong Birth Certificate.

    Can anyone recommend to me a Notary Public that they have used before?

    And yes, I need to get an officially notarised copy. Not a "certified true copy". And it is not sufficient to visit the Commissioner of Oaths.

    I did search the forum but only found old threads without much in the way of helpful information, or just directions to the Commissioner of Oaths...

    Thanks very much in advance!
    this is quite a basic notarization so I suggest you go with someone with the lowest fees as long as they are accredited.

    look at :-
    http://www.hongkonglaws.com.hk/www.y...net/index.html

  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by wunder:
    Hello all,

    I need to get a notarised copy of my Hong Kong Birth Certificate.

    Can anyone recommend to me a Notary Public that they have used before?

    And yes, I need to get an officially notarised copy. Not a "certified true copy". And it is not sufficient to visit the Commissioner of Oaths.
    Your consulate may offer the service.

    But a statutory declaration before a commissioner of oaths is FAR stronger legally than a simple notarisation, so whoever you are sending it to is pretty ignorant to suggest otherwise.

    Getting the document apostilled might also be an option.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Mar 2010
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    I think doing it at the Commissioner for Oaths is only valid for HK. Need NP for international recognition.

    To the OP, I have only used one notary public and not sure how his fees compare with others so, as rakedavids suggests, best to call from that list.

    Sending you PM for the one I know.


  5. #5

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    Mar 2012
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    25

    OP here.

    Gruntfuttock -- I need to bring it to the Thai Consulate, and it very clearly says on their webpage

    "CERTIFIED COPY OF THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE NOTARISED BY AUTHORISED HONG KONG NOTARY PUBLIC" (http://www.thai-consulate.org.hk/web/3015.php?s=4054)


    rakedavids -- Agreed. I have been calling a number of notaries and getting quotes in the neighborhood of $1800 to $3000. If anyone knows anybody who can do it cheaper than that I'd really appreciate a referral.


  6. #6

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    Dear OP,

    Sorry, I know you PM'd me.

    I haven't had a chance to ask the person re the notary, but when I do I will PM you.


  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by DarrenChan:
    I think doing it at the Commissioner for Oaths is only valid for HK. Need NP for international recognition.
    Then you think wrong.

    I have personally made Statutory Declarations in front of a Commissioner of Oaths to validate documents for the purpose of my daughter getting a visa for Brazil. The Brazilian Consulate were absolutely fine with that.

    The main international government-to-government system for "officialising" documents is apostille under the Hague Convention, but unfortunately Thailand isn't a signatory to that.

    Notaries do not in any way validate that the document that your present to them is a valid HK Birth Certificate. They simply make a copy of the piece of paper that you give them and certify that the copy is the same as the original. "Certified true copy" is essentially just one of the many scams that lawyers run to earn stupid amounts of money for no value add. There is no recourse to the lawyer if the document is fake, only if their photocopier makes an error!

    An Apostille is a certification from (in this case) the HK Government that the birth certificate on which the Apostille is attached is indeed genuine (I have used Apostille on my marriage certificte for the purposes of getting a Schengen Visa for my wife).

    A Statutory Declaration in front of a Commissioner of Oaths is a strong legal undertaking. If you swear before Commissioner of Oaths and that statement is subsequently shown to be false then you go to jail.

  8. #8

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    Yea most consulates provide this service for a nominal fee.

    I remember visiting the Singapore consulate with a client to have a document 'notarised' and it was something like HKD 50.

    Edit - But seeing as it is your consulate requesting it i guess that rules that one out.

    Last edited by Trebor; 21-02-2014 at 04:30 PM.