Remote Notary Costs: What to Expect
Cost is one of the first questions people ask when researching remote notarisation — understandably, since notarial fees aren't standardised across the profession the way solicitors' conveyancing fees or court fees are. As a leading provider of remote notary services in England and Wales, Staple Inn Notaries believes pricing should be clear before you book, not something you find out partway through the process. Here's what a remote notarisation actually costs, and why.
Why Notarial Fees Aren't a Flat Government Rate
Unlike a Commissioner for Oaths fee — set by the Commissioners for Oaths (Fees) Order 1993 at a nominal £5 per document — a notary's fee reflects professional legal time, not a fixed administrative charge. A notary is a senior international lawyer, trained to verify identity, assess a document's legal effect, confirm it meets the requirements of the jurisdiction it's going to, and certify it in a form that will be recognised abroad. That work is the same whether the appointment happens in our Holborn office or over video call — which is why remote notarisation isn't priced as a discount service. It's not just a stamp.
Our Notarial Fees
Staple Inn Notaries charges a flat rate, whether the document is for use in the UK or overseas, and whether the appointment is in person or remote:
Personal documents – £135
Commercial or property matters – £150
These fees cover the notarisation itself. If your document also needs an apostille or embassy legalisation, that's arranged as a separate, additional step.
FCDO Apostille Fees (If Required)
If your remotely notarised document needs an apostille from the FCDO to be recognised in a Hague Convention country, this is priced separately:
Standard service (3 working days) – £95 plus VAT, which includes the £45 FCDO fee
Urgent service (1 working day) – £125 plus VAT, which includes the £45 FCDO fee
The notarial fee applies on top of this only where the document requires notarisation before it's eligible for an apostille.
What's Included in the Remote Notarisation Fee
Our flat fee covers the full appointment: identity verification over video call, review of the document, the notarial act itself, and a certificate confirming the act was carried out remotely in line with Faculty Office requirements. It also includes the best-endeavours check to confirm your document's destination will accept a remote notarisation — something worth doing before you book, not after, since it can affect whether the document needs to be redone in person.
Getting an Accurate Quote
Because fees depend on document type rather than appointment length or method, we can usually confirm the exact cost before you book. Get in touch with details of your document and where it's going, and we'll confirm pricing — including whether an apostille will also be needed — upfront.
Staple Inn Notaries
Fox Court, 14 Gray's Inn Road, Holborn, London WC1X 8HN
Tel: 020 3488 4195
Enquire: internationalnotary.co.uk/contact-us
About the Author
Sheikh Najam LLB TEP MA MBA is a Notary Public for England and Wales, European Attorney, and STEP-qualified Private Wealth and International Tax Lawyer, appointed by the Court of Faculties under Royal Authority and regulated through the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is CEO of Staple Inn Notaries and serves as Vice President for Notarial Affairs and Advisory Board Member at Justinian Lawyers, the Berlin-headquartered international legal network of the Association of European Attorneys (AEA).
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