Terms of Business

(updated on 13th August 2026)

– IMPORTANT INFORMATION –

A. THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE shall, save as otherwise expressly agreed in writing, apply to the provision of notarial services and services as a notary public by and between (on the one hand) ANDRADA GACICHEVICI NOTARY PUBLIC LTD (referred to as “me”, “my” or “I”) practising and trading as Andrada C. Gacichevici Notary Public, a company limited by shares and registered as a private company (Company number 14960609) registered in England and Wales, with a registered office at T2-2208A Union West (T2), 22 Water Street, Manchester M3 4BR, United Kingdom, and (on the other hand) my clients and prospective clients (referred to as “you” or “your”) to the exclusion (so far as allowed by the law of England and Wales) of all other terms and conditions of business.

B. HOURS AND WORK LOCATION: My practice is based in St John’s, Manchester City Centre, next to Aviva Studios. My working hours are between 10:00 and 17:00 UK local time from Monday to Friday, other than on Bank Holidays in England and Wales and other holidays when I do not normally work. Appointments are strictly by prior arrangement only.

For urgent matters, I may agree to provide notarial services to you outside of my normal working hours and/or at locations away from my usual appointment location, such as at your home or place of work (where permitted), subject to my prior agreement. If a notarial appointment takes place away from my usual appointment location or outside of my normal working hours, a surcharge will apply in addition to my standard fees.

To ensure each client receives my undivided attention, my services are available by appointment only and require the submission of the necessary information and documentation in advance. You can book an appointment by completing the online form available on my website, www.notarypublic.network. All clients are required to complete my identification and verification process and to provide the identification and supporting documentation requested through the secure verification process. Payment of the applicable invoice and completion of the required identification and verification process are required to confirm the appointment, subject to any statutory rights of cancellation or other rights available to you under applicable law.

C. THE SCOPE OF MY RESPONSIBILITY TO YOU AND ITS LIMITS: As a notary public and commissioner for oaths, my primary responsibility (in contract) is to you, my client, and our contractual relationship is governed by these terms and conditions; and I also have a non-contractual responsibility to those third parties throughout the world who may foreseeably place reliance on my notarial acts.

My notarial practice is limited to the preparation and creation of notarial acts and acting as a commissioner for oaths in accordance with the law of England and Wales and the provision of limited ancillary services as mentioned in Clause 6 below. I do not provide England and Wales legal advice save in connection with my notarial acts and oaths, neither do I provide legal advice concerning any other legal system or rules of law other than the law of England and Wales, nor do I provide transactional advice or document preparation services beyond the preparation and creation of notarial acts, oaths and provision of the limited ancillary services as mentioned in Clause 6 below. You agree that it is your responsibility to obtain any necessary foreign law advice, England and Wales legal advice beyond the notarial act or oath, transactional advice (legal or otherwise) and wider document preparation services from other legal and professional advisors, and any costs, losses, liabilities and other consequences arising from your failure to do so are your responsibility and not mine.

I will not be responsible for delays or losses caused by matters outside my reasonable control, including delays or loss caused by third parties where such delay or loss is not caused by my breach of duty or negligence, postal or courier services, legalisation authorities, technical failures or interruption of electronic communications, subject always to my obligations and liabilities under applicable law and Clause 16.

D. INTEGRITY AND HONESTY: Notaries of England and Wales are obliged under the terms of their notarial Oath and legislation including legislation and regulations relating to anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing to take measures for the purpose of detecting and preventing fraud, duress, and crime. In this regard, you hereby acknowledge and agree that I am entitled to make such enquiries and ask such questions of you and third parties as I consider are necessary or appropriate, including information concerning the nature, purpose and wider circumstances of the transaction, beneficial ownership and control, source of funds or wealth where relevant, and any other information reasonably required for compliance with applicable legal and regulatory obligations. You hereby undertake and warrant that any such enquiries and questions will be answered promptly, fully and truthfully by you, your representatives, advisors, employees and agents in default of which I will decline or terminate your instructions.

VISITING A NOTARY PUBLIC AND MY TERMS OF BUSINESS

1. Why a notary? It is almost always the case that you have been asked to see a notary because you have a document that needs to be used abroad. Seeing a notary is never a mere rubber-stamping exercise. The international duty of a Notary involves a high standard of care. This is not only towards the client but also to anyone who may rely on the document and to Governments or officials of other countries. These people are entitled to assume that a Notary will ensure full compliance with the relevant requirements both here and abroad; and to rely on the Notary’s register and records. Great care is essential at every stage to minimise the risks of errors, omissions, alterations, fraud, forgery, money laundering, the use of false identity, and so on.

I offer appointments during my normal working hours and, where appropriate, outside of my normal working hours by prior arrangement. I may also provide notarial services at a location away from my usual appointment location, including at your home or place of business, where appropriate and subject to my prior agreement. Any appointment taking place away from my usual appointment location or outside of my normal working hours may be subject to an additional surcharge to cover travelling time, expenses and/or the provision of services outside of my normal working hours.

I may not always be able to accommodate your requested appointment date or timeframe. Where I am unable to accept your instructions, I will inform you as soon as reasonably practicable. If, having accepted your instructions, I subsequently become unable or not permitted to act for you, I will inform you as soon as reasonably practicable and, where appropriate, provide you with information that may assist you in locating an alternative notary.

2. Signatures: The Notary should normally witness your signature. Please do not sign the document in advance of your appointment with me.

3. Documents and information to be provided in advance: To enable me to prepare for your appointment, identify the nature and requirements of the matter and, where appropriate, identify any issues before you attend, you are required to provide:

• The documents to be notarised; and
• Any relevant instructions or supporting documentation to me in advance of the appointment

You are also required to complete my identification and verification process and provide the identification and other information or documentation reasonably required for that purpose before your appointment. The documents and information provided must be complete, accurate and genuine. Where original documents are required, you must bring the relevant originals to the appointment.

Where third-party witnesses are required, I will advise you once I have reviewed the documentation and established the requirements of the matter. You are responsible for arranging the attendance of the required number of independent adult witnesses who have the necessary capacity to act as witnesses. Each witness must provide satisfactory evidence of their identity in accordance with my identification and verification requirements.

Your appointment will not be confirmed until I have received the documentation and information required for the matter, the required identification and verification process has been completed, and payment of the applicable invoice has been received, subject always to any statutory rights of cancellation or other rights available to you under applicable law.

Failure to provide the required documentation or information in sufficient time, the provision of incomplete or inaccurate information or documentation, or failure to satisfy my identification and verification requirements may result in a delay to the provision of notarial services, the need to rearrange an appointment, or my being unable or not permitted to act for you. Where I am unable or not permitted to act, I will inform you as soon as reasonably practicable.

4. Identification: Notaries are required to identify persons appearing before them and to keep appropriate records of the means by which identity has been established. All clients and, where applicable, representatives and witnesses are required to complete my identification and verification process and to provide such identification and supporting documentation as I reasonably require.

Identification will normally involve a face-to-face meeting with me. I may require you to produce original identification documents at the appointment and may require further evidence of identity, address, name, capacity or authority where reasonably necessary in the circumstances of the matter.

Where identification or verification is undertaken using a secure digital verification process, you must provide the information and documentation requested through that process and complete any further checks I reasonably require.

I may make and retain copies or records of identification documents and other evidence provided to me where necessary to comply with my professional, legal and regulatory obligations.

5. Proof of names: In a case where the name on the document is different from the name you are currently using, or there has been a variation in the form of spelling of the name over the years, please provide me as appropriate with Certificates of Birth, Marriage or Final Order (Divorce) or Change of Name Deed Poll showing all the different names that you use. If there has been a change of name, then I will need to see a copy of the Deed Poll or Statutory Declaration which dealt with it.

6. Advice on the document: If you provide a document to me for notarisation, I will advise you as to the notarial formalities and requirements applicable to the notarial act, insofar as these fall within my knowledge, expertise and professional competence. This may include advising you on the manner in which the document should be signed, witnessed or otherwise executed for the purposes of the notarial act.

I do not undertake to advise you on the requirements of any foreign jurisdiction or on the legal, commercial or other effect of the document or underlying transaction. Where the document is intended for use outside England and Wales, you are responsible for obtaining any advice or confirmation required from the relevant lawyer, notary public, authority or other competent professional in the jurisdiction in which the document is to be used. Where appropriate, I may liaise with such lawyer, notary public, authority or other competent professional to establish or confirm the requirements applicable to the notarial act.

I will not advise you on the underlying transaction or its commercial or legal effect, unless expressly agreed otherwise and I am authorised and competent to provide such advice.

My notarial act will primarily be in the English language, and upon considering the document and having regard to the technical and specialised vocabulary used by lawyers in all their languages, I may also agree to provide my notarial act in any of the languages Romanian, Spanish, French or Italian, upon request. I shall advise that this may not always be possible if your enquiry is urgent.

You further acknowledge that you will be responsible for the cost of any translation of my notarial act that may be required where the receiving jurisdiction is not English speaking, or the above-mentioned languages, if agreed. If you require a notarial act to be issued in England and Wales in a language other than English, or the abovementioned languages, if agreed, you will need to refer the matter to another notary with the relevant language skills, or perhaps an appropriate official of an embassy, consulate, or diplomatic representation of the receiving jurisdiction.

8. Oral Interpreter: If you and I cannot understand each other because of a language difficulty, we may have to make arrangements for a competent interpreter to be available at our interview and this may involve a further fee.

9. Companies, Partnerships etc: If a document is to be signed by you on behalf of a company, a partnership, a charity, club or other incorporated body, there are further requirements on which I may have to insist. Please be prepared for these and telephone with any point of difficulty before attending on the appointment.

In each case:

1. Evidence of identity of the authorised signatory (as listed above).
2. A copy of the current letterhead (showing the registered office if it is a company).
3. A Letter of Authority, Minute, Resolution or Power of Attorney, authorising you to sign the document.

Additionally, companies: Certificate of Incorporation and of any Change of Name, a copy of the Memorandum and Articles of Association, Details of Directors and Secretaries. In all instances I will be carrying out various company searches, which may have an effect on the level of fees charged.

Additionally, partnerships, clubs, etc: A Partnership Agreement; or relevant Trust Deed; or Charter; or Constitution/Rules.

10. Notarial charges and expenses: Details of my charges are set out below. Please note that if I have to make payments on your behalf such as legalisation fees, translator or interpreter fees, or other costs such as travelling expenses, your approval to these will be obtained and you are normally required to make payment in advance of any such amounts.

Charges:

If the matter is straightforward, I will normally provide a fixed fee for the notarial work. Where appropriate, the quotation may also include specified disbursements or ancillary services.

For more complicated or time-consuming matters the fee will be based on my hourly rate of £300 subject to a minimum fee of £180, plus disbursements. The fee charged may include time spent on preliminary advice, drafting and preparation time, making and receiving telephone calls, correspondence written and received in all formats, arranging legalisation and record keeping.

The document will be issued as one original copy. If additional original copies are required, each subsequent copy will be charged from £60.

If a notarial appointment takes place away from my usual appointment location or outside of my normal working hours, a surcharge will apply in addition to my standard fees. The surcharge may include an additional charge to cover travelling time and expenses where the appointment takes place away from my usual appointment location.

Disbursements and Legalisation: Certain documents may require legalisation before they can be accepted in the receiving jurisdiction. This may include obtaining an apostille from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (“FCDO”) and, depending on the requirements of the receiving jurisdiction, further legalisation through the relevant embassy, consulate or other authority.

Where requested, I can arrange the procurement of an FCDO apostille at a fee of £120 per apostille. Where three or more apostilles are requested together, a reduced fee of £100 per apostille will apply. These fees include my service in arranging the apostille and the standard costs associated with obtaining and returning the apostilled document to an address within the United Kingdom.

Standard processing is normally approximately four to five working days, although this may vary depending on the circumstances and the legalisation process. International delivery is charged separately and starts from £60, depending on the destination, weight and delivery service required.

Further legalisation through an embassy, consulate or other authority may be arranged on request and will be quoted separately. Any applicable third-party legalisation fees, courier charges or other additional costs will be notified to you in advance where reasonably practicable.

Payment of my fees and any applicable disbursements is due upon presentation of the invoice. Payment of the applicable invoice, together with completion of the required identification and verification process and provision of the required documentation, is required to confirm an appointment. Payment should be made by bank transfer using the bank details provided on the invoice.

Payment must be received in cleared funds before the relevant notarial services are provided or, where applicable, before documents are released or returned to you. I reserve the right to withhold the release or return of documents until all sums due to me in respect of the relevant matter have been paid in full.

Occasionally unforeseen or unusual issues arise during the course of the matter which may result in a revision of my fee estimate. Examples of this could include where additional documents are required to be reviewed or notarised, additional translations or legalisations are needed to meet the requirements of the receiving jurisdiction, third party fees are adjusted to reflect external factors such as fuel price changes and so on. I will notify you of any changes in the fee estimate as soon as possible.

11. Typical Stages of a notarial transaction: Each notarial matter is different, and the requirements and timescales will vary greatly according to whether the client is a private individual or a company and in particular according to the processing times of third parties such as the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, legalisation agents, translating agencies and couriers. I aim, where practicable, to arrange an appointment within 1 to 3 working days of your first contact, subject to availability and receipt of the required information, documentation, identification and payment. Where apostille procurement is requested, the standard processing time is normally approximately four to five working days, subject to the requirements and processing times of the relevant authorities and agents. Some of the typical key stages are likely to include:

• Receiving and reviewing the documents to be notarised together with any instructions you may have received;
• Liaising with your legal advisors or other bodies to obtain the necessary documentation to deal with the document (e.g. information from Companies House or foreign registries, powers of attorney etc);
• Checking the identity, capacity and authority of the person who is to sign the document;
• If a document is to be certified, checking with the issuing authorities that the document/award is genuine.In the case of academic awards, this would entail checking with the appropriate academic institutions;
• Meeting with the signatory to verify their identity and to ascertain that they understand what they are signing and that they are doing so of their own free will and ensuring that the document is executed correctly;
• Drafting and affixing or endorsing a notarial certificate to the document;
• Arranging for the legalisation of the document as appropriate;
• Arranging for the storage of copies of all notarised documents in accordance with the requirements of the Notaries Practice Rules 2019.

Where the relevant notarial act requires me to prepare documents I will normally need to do this document preparation at my principal office and you hereby acknowledge that in such cases more than one meeting with you or (where applicable) your representative may be necessary before the notarial act can be completed.

12. Notarial Records and Data Protection: When I carry out notarial work for you, I am required to make appropriate records of the notarial act and to retain those records in accordance with my professional and legal obligations. I will also retain copies of relevant documentation as required by applicable law and professional rules.

Personal data will be processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation and my Privacy Notice, which explains how I collect, use, disclose, retain and protect personal data and the rights available to individuals. My Privacy Notice is available on my website at www.notarypublic.network.

13. Use of e-mail: I maintain an e-mail account for my notarial practice. In performing services for you, I may wish to send messages and documents to you, your representatives, advisors, employees and agents by email if you or they are able to provide me with an e-mail address for that purpose. You acknowledge that, in common with other forms of communication, e-mail carries its own risks including the possibility of unauthorised access to data by third parties, corruption of text, inadvertent misdirection, inadvertent deletion, non-delivery, and receipt without being read. Not all these risks can be avoided even by the use of passwords or encryption. Nevertheless, by providing me with an e-mail address, you hereby acknowledge that you and the users of the relevant e-mail accounts have agreed that the benefits of the use of e-mail (for example speed and economy) outweigh the risks of its, and that you and the users of the relevant e-mail accounts have consented to the use of e-mail by me.

If you receive an e-mail from me which was not intended by me to have been sent to or received by you, you must notify me immediately upon becoming aware of my error, delete the e-mail permanently from your systems, destroy any paper copies, and you must not disclose any of its contents to any other party.

You hereby acknowledge that I do not accept service of court documents or other documents which have legal effect by e-mail, and that any attempt to effect such service by e-mail shall be invalid and ineffective save as otherwise provided by the mandatory law of England and Wales.

14. Use of Technology, Devices and Artificial Intelligence:

• To the extent that I use any automated decision-making technology, including artificial intelligence, in the course of my services, I do not rely upon the same without human intervention.

• Before using any new technology including artificial intelligence, I carry out an appropriate risk assessment to ensure that your rights are not adversely affected by the same.

15. AI Policy:

As part of my ongoing commitment to efficiency and service quality, I may use AI-based tools to assist with administrative tasks such as document drafting, proofreading, or scheduling. Any use of AI is solely for internal purposes to improve the efficiency of service delivery and is subject to strict confidentiality and data protection protocols. Personal or sensitive information will not be processed by AI tools without your explicit consent. For further details on how AI tools are used and their impact on data protection, please refer to my AI POLICY on website: www.notarypublic.network.

16. Insurance and limitation of liability: In the interests of my clients, I maintain professional indemnity insurance at a level of at least £1,000,000 per claim, together with such other insurance as is required in connection with my notarial practice.

Subject always to any liability which cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including any rights and protections applicable to consumers, my liability to you in contract, tort (including negligence) or otherwise arising out of or in connection with the notarial services provided by me shall be limited to the direct loss caused by my acts or omissions, and shall not exceed £50,000 in respect of any one claim or series of claims arising from the same act or omission.

I shall not be liable for indirect or consequential loss, or for loss arising from matters outside my reasonable control, except to the extent that such exclusion or limitation is not permitted by law.

Nothing in these terms and conditions shall exclude or limit liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, death or personal injury caused by negligence, or any other liability which cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

17. Lawful Purpose: You hereby undertake and warrant to me that neither you nor (where applicable) your representative nor your advisors, employees or agents will procure or allow the use of my name or status as a notary public for or in connection with any fraudulent or otherwise unlawful purpose, or procure or allow the issue or use of a notarial act, oath, or other document created or amended by me which you or (where applicable) your representative, advisors, employees or agents intend to use for or in connection with any fraudulent or otherwise unlawful purpose, or which you or (where applicable) your representative, advisors, employees or agents have reason to believe may be used for or in connection with any fraudulent or otherwise unlawful purpose.

18. Equality and Diversity: I am committed to promoting equality and diversity in all of my dealings with you and third parties.

19. Disability: I will endeavour to make any reasonably feasible adjustments in the manner of providing my services in order to facilitate their provision to or involving any person with a relevant disability.

20. Termination/ Your Right to Cancel: You may terminate your instructions to me at any time by giving me written notice. You will remain responsible for any fees and disbursements properly incurred up to the date on which your instructions are terminated, subject to any statutory rights you may have to cancel the contract or receive a refund under applicable law.

Consumer Cancellation Rights – Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 (“CCR”):
Where you are a consumer and the CCR apply to our contract, you may have a statutory right to cancel the contract within 14 days without giving any reason. The applicable cancellation period and the circumstances in which it applies will be determined in accordance with the CCR.

You may exercise any statutory right to cancel by informing me of your decision by a clear statement, for example by email. Where you validly exercise a statutory right to cancel, I will reimburse payments received from you in accordance with the CCR and using the same means of payment as you used for the original transaction, unless otherwise agreed with you.

Request to begin services during the cancellation period: Where the CCR apply and you expressly request that I begin providing the notarial services before the expiry of the 14-day cancellation period, you may still have a statutory right to cancel. If you subsequently exercise that right, you may be required to pay an amount proportionate to the services supplied up to the point at which you communicated your cancellation, to the extent permitted by the CCR.

Where the service has been fully performed during the cancellation period following your express request and acknowledgement of the relevant consequences, your statutory right to cancel may cease in accordance with the CCR.

21. Termination by me: I reserve the right to terminate my engagement by you if I have good reason to do so, for example, if you do not pay a bill or comply with my request for a payment on account or you fail to give me the co-operation which I am reasonably entitled to expect.

22. Complaints: My notarial practice is regulated through the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury:

The Faculty Office
1, The Sanctuary
Westminster
London SW1P3JT
Telephone 020 7222 5381
Email Faculty.office@1thesanctuary.com 

Website www.facultyoffice.org.uk

I aim to provide you with a high and efficient standard of service. However, if you are dissatisfied about the service you have received, please do not hesitate to contact me.

If we are unable to resolve the matter you may then complain to the Notaries Society of which I am a member, who have a Complaints Procedure which is approved by the Faculty Office. This procedure is free to use and is designed to provide a quick resolution to any dispute.

In that case please write with full details of your complaint together with copies of any documents or correspondence (but do not enclose any original documents) to the Secretary of The Notaries Society at the following address:

Elaine Standish
The Secretary
The Notaries Society
P O Box 876
Chichester PO19 9ZH
Email secretary@thenotariessociety.org.uk

Website www.thenotariessociety.org.uk

If you have any difficulty in making a complaint in writing, please do not hesitate to contact the Notaries Society/the Faculty Office for assistance.

Finally, even if you have your complaint considered under the Notaries Society Approved Complaints Procedure, you may at the end of that procedure, or after a period of 8 weeks from the date you first notified me that you were dissatisfied, make your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, if you are not happy with the result:

Legal Ombudsman

P O Box 6167

Slough SL1 0EH
Tel : 0300 555 0333
Email : enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk 

Website : www.legalombudsman.org.uk

If you decide to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, you must refer your matter to the Legal Ombudsman within one year from the act/omission or within one year from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint, and within six months of my final response to your complaint, where the applicable Legal Ombudsman requirements have been satisfied.

23. Law and Jurisdiction: The law which governs the construction, interpretation and effect of these terms and conditions of service and my contractual relationship with you is hereby chosen to be the law of England and Wales; and you hereby agree that the courts of England and Wales shall have non-exclusive jurisdiction to adjudicate upon any dispute or claim between us.