Notary Public – Stockholm

For information in Swedish – click this link.

Do you need help from a Notary Public? Our office is at Kungsgatan 37, 5 stairs up (elevator available), and we have Drop-In between 09.00-16.00 every weekday. Go up to the 5th floor at Kungsgatan 37, then go down the corridor to find our office. Call 08-502 353 37 if you have problems finding.

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.

What is a Notary Public?

In short, an appointment to an individual as a Notary Public means that the notary has the right to issue certain stamps. These stamps are mainly the issuing of apostilles, authentications, witnessing of signatures, attestations of copies and various other stamps. The two most common services a Notary Public helps with is issuing a so-called Apostille Stamp and also issuing Notarisation-stamps.

What can a Notary Public help with?

• Apostille stamps
• Notarisations
• Witnessing and certification of signatures
• Act as a witness when seals are placed or broken
• Affidavits
• Check and certify that copies match the original. For example passport copies
• Through an Apostille certificate that an authority or person is authorized to take special measures, has a certain position, competence etc.

Most common services

Apostille

The most common service a Notary Public will assist with is an Apostille Stamp. Most commonly, an Apostille stamp must be issued on a document held by a private person showing Swedish issued documents abroad. 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. An Apostille could be described as an authentication of a document that it is official and that it is signed and stamped by an official authority.

Did you know?

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. 

Notarisations, certifications and affidavits

Certain other services, such as for example notarisations, certification of copies or witnessing of signatures, require a physical presence. This is so that the Notary Public can really certify that it is the right person to have signed the documents. Therefore, it is necessary on those occasions when you need to get a certified copy, witness a signature or authenticate a document 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 through this link.

In what situations do i need a Notary Public?

It is most common for private individuals to turn to a Notary Public because they have been asked to do so in their communication 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 service can not a Notary Public do?

Notaries Public have many different services they can offer, but there are some services they are unfortunately not able to help with. Some services only the Swedish authorities can help with. It is important here to know that Notary Publics do not work for or are hired by the Swedish state, but only hold an appointed trust to perform certain tasks. This means that Notary Publics are private  companies and that they may charge a fee for their services within the framework of their own business. 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 by Notary Publics. The assignment a Notary Public has 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 Notary Public

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 Servant” alternatively “Public Secretary”.

In Sweden, it is the county administrative board that chooses and appoints which persons will receive the appointment as a Notary Public. 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.  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 Swedish County Administrative Board appoints who is to be appointed Notary Public

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 at least one person. In larger municipalities, mainly in the Stockholm area. For example, in Sundbyberg, Greater Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö it is common to have several appointed Notary Publics.

Even if the appointment from the Swedish County Administrative Board is determined for a certain area or a certain municipality, there is nothing to prevent the Notary Public from taking on tasks outside the specified area. 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?

Not just anyone can become one, the county administrative board makes relatively far-reaching demands.

To be a Notary Public these demands have to be met for the person:

• Completed law degree
• Possess sufficient language skills
• Show a certificate that they are not declared bankrupt
• Otherwise be suitable for the assignment

In certain special circumstances, however, the County Administrative Board can make an exception from point number 1. In reality, however, this is rarely used.