Understanding Notarization
Notarization
Our Notary Public:
- Issues notarial certificates
- Verification of signatures and documents
- Administering oaths / affirmations
For details please refer to “Our Notarial Services”
Apostille
- Apostille Service arrangements at the Hong Kong High Court under Apostille Convention (Hague Apostille Convention 1961)
Legalization
- Legalization & authentication at various embassies in the Hong Kong SAR
Our Notarial Services
Notarization for Individuals
For individual verification:
- identity, birth certificates, passports, address proof, marriage certificates or decree absolute (for divorce)
- academic and professional qualifications;
- Witnessing execution of power of attorneys, commercial agreements, last wills and government forms
- Administering oaths and affirmations
Notarization for Corporates
For companies:
- Verifying company documents including board/shareholders’ resolutions, certificates of incorporation, BR certificates, annual returns and articles of association
- Preparing legal opinion on company structures and existence, and due execution of company documents
ENQUIRY
NOTARY PUBLIC SERVICE
We are a professional and experienced team who provides notarial services for local and international clients. Our notary public, Mr. Nicky Tse is appointed by the Chief Judge of the Hong Kong High Court and specialized in litigation. Mr. Nicky Tse is also a China Appointed Attesting Officer. Our team is here and ready to answer your enquiry and provide you with actionable solutions.
For contentious matters, Nicky works regularly with a team of Counsel and Senior Counsel with various specialties in arbitration tribunals and all levels of Courts. During his past decade of practice, Nicky handled shareholders and boardroom disputes, insolvency, probate, trust, matrimonial, medical-related, and very urgent Court applications for interlocutory relief including injunctions, appointment of provisional liquidators and NPOs.
For commercial matters, Nicky regularly advises cross-border corporations ranging from aviation, international trade, F&B and entertainment industries, including M&A deals, restructuring, banking and other company matters.
Nicky achieved Black Belt 5th dan in Taekwondo and practiced ISSF air-pistol and air-rifle shooting.
Please see Nicky’s LinkedIn webpage for highlighted cases handled by Nicky and his team.
14 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AS A SOLICITOR IN HKSAR
Client Review
FAQ
A notary public is an experienced solicitor appointed as a notary public by the Chief Judge of the Hong Kong High Court after passing an examination conducted by the Hong Kong Society of Notaries. The passing rate of the examination is notoriously low and only a handful of candidates (17% in 2019 exam and 9.17% in 2015 exam) can pass the notary public examination. Currently, there are 382 practising notaries public, approximately 4% of all practising solicitors in Hong Kong.
THERE are three levels of authenticating a document. For certain jurisdictions (including the UK, the Philippines, and Australia), documents verified by a notary public in Hong Kong will suffice (notarized documents).
For some jurisdictions (including Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Sri Lanka, and Canada), notarized documents may need to be submitted to The High Court of Hong Kong for further authentication of the notary’s capacity. This process is known as “apostille”.
For other countries (including Thailand, Egypt, and the UAE), apostille documents need a third level of authentication by its embassy/consulate in Hong Kong. This process is called “legalization”. Legalization means that the documents being “legalized” can be accepted as proper documents to be used in that foreign country.
Our team will inform you which level of authentication is required upon enquiry.
Most, if not all, of our clients approach us because they are told that notarization is required. This is perfectly fine because only the parties who receive the documents will make such a request. We are here to help when you are told you need notarial services, and we will handle the rest.
Upon enquiry, we will let you know which level of authentication is required. Further, we will inform you what documents need to be produced to complete the process. We will also provide you with a confirmed fee quote for consideration.
We charge based on the following factors: –
- the level of authentication needed;
- the number of documents to be notarized;
- the complexity of a task; and
- whether legal opinion is required during the notarization process.
We will normally be able to provide you with a confirmed fee quote for your consideration. Please feel free to consult us.
CAAO attestation is a notarial process for documents to be used in mainland China. It is an entirely different system compared to the notary public system, and is governed by The Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (Apostille Convention). We can refer you to trusted and able China Appointed Attesting Officers for assistance. Please feel free to contact us if you have any enquiries.
Find Us
- Oldham Li & Nie 5/F, St George’s Building 2 Ice House Street Central, Hong Kong (Central MTR Station Exit F)
- +852 9852 1169
- +852 9852 1169
- info@nickytse-notary.hk