FAQ 56

Q56. Can a barrister act as a Notary Public in the same way that he can act as a Commissioner for Oaths?

A56. Upon call to the Bar barristers automatically become entitled to administer oaths regardless of whether they have completed pupillage. However, they are not automatically entitled to act as a Notary Public. To become a member of the notarial profession it is necessary to obtain a Diploma in Notarial Practice and then to acquire a Faculty from the Master of Faculties at the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Guidance has been published for those members of the Bar who are qualified to act as a Notary Public on the extent to which practice in the two professions can be combined. The work of notaries extends beyond the function of authenticating legal documents for use abroad into wider functions that are not normally permitted to practising barristers. This guidance is on the Bar Council’s website at www.barcouncil.org.uk