Do you need help from a Notary Public? We will help you immediately and you will have your documents ready within a few minutes. With us, you avoid processing times of 1-2 days and get the documents stamped immediately.
Our office is located at Regeringsgatan 29 and we have Drop-In between 09.30-16.00 every weekday. Other times we can help by agreement. Go up the escalator at Regeringsgatan 29 to get to our lobby. In the lobby you can call 08-502 353 37 or register at the reception and we will come out to help with your documents at once.
Important to know before your visit
In order for us to be able to help you as quickly as possible, it is important that you yourself know which documents you need stamped and which type of stamp you need. If you have your papers ready and know more specifically what you want, we can help you faster.
Important things to consider:
- Have you received any instructions regarding what you need?
- What service is requested? For example. Apostille, Witnessing, Witnessing etc.. Ask those who asked to have the documents stamped if you are unsure.
- What type of document does the service refer to? For example. Identity card, Power of Attorney, Adoption etc..
- If it concerns copies, e.g. passport copies, make sure to bring a printed copy of the document.
What can a Notary Public help with?
- Stamping with Apostille on documents.
- Witnessing signatures
- Witnessing seals being put on or broken.
- Vidimization
- Checking and certifying the conformity of copies with the original. E.g. passport copies.
- With Apostille certify that an authority or person is authorized to take special measures, has a certain position, competence or the like.
Most common services
Apostille
It is slightly different depending on the service that Notary Publics will assist with. Most commonly, an Apostille stamp must be issued on a document held by a private person. This may involve the person creating a foreign bank account, going through a property sale abroad or something else. It is common on these occasions for foreign authorities to require special documents to be stamped with an Apostille that only a Notary Public can provide a document with. It is also common for these actors to require a certified passport copy. To issue an Apostille, you do not need to physically visit an office, but the documents can be submitted by letter, stamped and then sent back to you.
Witnessing, certification and witnessing
Certain other services, such as for example authentication, certification of copies or witnessing of signatures, require a physical presence. This is so that the Notary Public can really certify that the right person has signed the documents. Therefore, on those occasions when you need to get a certified copy, witness a signature or authenticate a document, it is necessary that you are physically present and have a valid ID document with you. When it comes to certification and certificate of signature, a register extract from the Swedish Companies Registration Office also needs to be included. This is so that the Notary Public can correctly see who is the signatory. You can read more at the Swedish Companies Registration Office via this link .
When are these services needed?
It is most common for private individuals to turn to a Notary Public because they have been asked to do so in connection with contact with foreign actors in matters of an international nature. Different actors have different requirements for which service they need help with. It is therefore important that you, as a private person, clearly ask what form of certificate is to be issued. For example, is it about a witnessing of a signature? An endorsement? Or, the most common, an Apostille?
What can’t a Notary Public do?
Notaries Public have many powers with their trust, but there are some services they are unfortunately not able to help with. Some information only the Swedish authorities can help with. It is important here to know that they do not work for the Swedish state, but only hold a trust to perform certain tasks with a state trust. There is a certain difference in this. They may charge a fee for their services within the framework of their own business, but are not employed by the state. We can explain it as that they act as the extended arm of the state in certain contexts.
Services that can be perceived as inappropriate, immoral or otherwise reprehensible may also not be carried out. The assignment means that it must be handled with good judgment and means that they may not perform services that are of a criminal nature or services that for various reasons cannot reasonably be requested.
General information about the Notary Public
Generally
That the state appoints a Notary Public has long been a tradition in Sweden and several other countries. The name comes from the Latin language and the direct translation is approximately “Public Notary” alternatively “Public Secretary”. In Sweden, it is the county administrative board that chooses and appoints which persons will receive the appointment. The task that the ordinance entails is not entirely clear, but can be read from Ordinance (1982:327) on Notary Public . The most important part that emerges from this ordinance is that, through the ordinance, they are authorized to issue Apostilles in accordance with the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961. This is above all the primary function that the Hague Convention has. Further important information that appears in the regulation is that the mission includes providing the public with certification and control over various information that is of a special nature. In summary, this can be explained by the fact that they have an objective control and certification function on behalf of the state.
The County Administrative Board appoints who is to be appointed
In every county there is at least one person who has an appointment. The size of the area over which the person is to have the appointment is up to the County Board, it is common for each municipality to appoint a person. In larger municipalities, mainly in the Stockholm area. For example, in Sundbyberg, Greater Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö it is common to have several appointments. Even if the task is determined for a certain area or a certain municipality, there is nothing to prevent the person from taking on tasks outside the specified area. The designated area shall be the primary area and the person shall be available there at all times, but this shall not preclude services at other locations or at a distance. In the area in which the person is appointed to operate, they are obliged to issue so-called ordinances at certain fixed opening hours at the public’s request. In other areas this obligation does not exist.
The assignment given can be either time-limited or indefinite. An assistant Notary Public can also be appointed, with the aim of taking the place of the regular Notary Public when the latter is vacant or prevented from serving for some other reason. In some areas, several assistants can even be assigned, where a certain order of turn is determined when they are to fill the place of the regular.
Who can become a Notary Public?
The County Administrative Board sets relatively far-reaching requirements for a person to obtain an appointment as a Notary Public. The person must:
- Completed law degree
- Possess sufficient language skills
- Show a certificate that they are not declared bankrupt
- Otherwise be suitable for the assignment