Embassy of the United States London, UK

Please Note: Due to government regulations, we cannot provide the following services:

• Notarization/legalization/authentication of U.S. State-issued documents
• W-7 Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs), which are handled by the Embassy's IRS office.  For more information, please see http://london.usembassy.gov/irs/index.html
• Medallion Signature Guarantees
• Notarization/legalization/authentication of U.S. academic credentials.  Contact the issuing educational institution, or the U.S./UK Educational Advisory Servicefor information.
• Form I-864(Affidavit of Support), which no longer requires notarization.
• Certified copies ("true copies") of original, non-U.S. documents.  Please see "Obtaining Certified Copies of Original non-U.S. Documents for more information.

Notary services are by appointment only.  Please see "Scheduling An Appointment" on the right-hand side of this page for further information.

Preparation for a notary appointment (please read the following instructions carefully):

• Please read your document(s) through carefully and make sure you understand the document(s) before the interview.  If a document is not clear, check with the office or organization requiring the notarized document or your legal advisor.  Consular staff cannot explain your document(s) to you.
• Know exactly where you are meant to sign. It is your responsibility to read all the documents and know where you are meant to sign.  The consular staff cannot advise you in any way on what is required of you for your document so come to the appointment fully prepared.
• Mark every page where the notary needs to sign, with a marker sticker sticking out of the document.  Also make clear which pages should be attached to each other, for instance with a paper clip.
• Fill in the document(s) with the appropriate names, places and dates.  However, DO NOT sign your document – you will sign under oath at the Embassy or Consulate before a Consular Officer.
• Make an appointment.  Notary services are by appointment only.  Please see "Scheduling An Appointment" on the right-hand side of this page for further information.
• Bring your passport as means of personal identification.
• If the name in your passport differs from the name on the documents you wish to have notarized, please bring evidence of a name change in the form of government documents such as marriage certificates, passports or drivers licenses showing both old and new names, etc..
• Bring the entire document(s), even if only one page is to be notarized.
• If your document requires witnesses in addition to the notary, you are responsible for providing these witnesses.  Consular staff cannot serve as witnesses.  Witnesses cannot be a spouse or a relative, and each witness will need a passport and an appointment to enter the Embassy or Consulate.  This is particularly important with regard to last wills and testaments.
• The appropriate fee is $50.00 per notarization  (i.e. $50.00 for the first seal, and $50.00 for each additional seal).  Payment may be made by: 
  • Credit card - Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, or Diners Club, or Debit card - Visa or Mastercard only ;
  • International Money Order to the exact U.S. dollar amount made payable to the "United States Disbursing Officer;"
  • Banker's Draft drawn in U.S. dollars only on a bank in the United States made payable to the "United States Disbursing Officer." or
  • If applying for the service in person in London or Belfast, cash - either dollars or UK sterling;

Money Orders and Banker's Drafts must have been issued within the last five months. 

IMPORTANT:  Please follow the above instructions very carefully. If you come unprepared, we may not be able to help you and you will need to set up a new appointment to visit the Embassy or Consulate another time.  The number of notary appointments available is limited.  If you cancel an existing appointment, you may not be able to re-book.  If you are unable to book an appointment, you may have your documents notarized under the two-step British system.

Notarizing your documents under the British System:

Step 1: Sign your documents in front of a notary public.  For your nearest notary public, see http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/choosingandusing/findasolicitor.law  and http://www.thenotariessociety.org.uk/find-a-notary

Step 2:  Send the documents to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) Legalisation Office, which will legalize the signature and stamp of the notary public by means of an apostille, or certificate.  For further information see www.fco.gov.uk/legalisation 

Documents notarized this way comply with the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, October 5, 1961, to which the United States became a party effective October 15, 1981, and should be accepted for use in the United States.