Best or cheapest?

What are you searching for?

What are you searching for when you're looking for a notary public? From our statistics, it's interesting to note that the most popular search terms for notaries are "free notary", "cheap notary" or "cheapest notary". But no one searches for "best notary". When it comes to other areas of law, such as family law, property law, immigration law or litigation, the search terms often include "best" - but not for notary public services. Why is that?

Unfortunately, when it comes to notary public services, it seems that many people undervalue the importance of correct information, wise advice, and good service (until it's too late). They only want it if it's free (and complain when it's not) or they want the cheapest, regardless of whether it's done quickly or even correctly. But that doesn't really make sense or otherwise, it's very short-sighted. Often people only regret their decision afterwards, which is how sometimes we become involved when they want someone to 'fix' what others have done or haven't done properly.

There's a saying that 'a poor man pays twice'. Do you know the meaning?

You get what you pay for

If someone is inexperienced or lacks expertise, how do you think they manage to still provide notary public services? It's quite simple. They undercut everyone else in terms of price and try to be the cheapest. They may even go as far as to offer free notary public services (although this is highly unlikely considering that notaries in Australia are qualified lawyers). If this is what attracts you to choose their services, then all the best to both of you.

"You get what you pay for" isn't just some cliche. Everything comes at a cost - it's just basic economics. To say that something is free isn't entirely true. If you receive something for free, it just means you didn't pay for it, but it still costs something to someone. It could be time, money or other resources, but either way, it's come at a cost. If you don't pay anything for it, do you value it or is it considered free because it has no value?

If you think about the thing you're trying to do in India that requires you to have notary public services, how much is that worth to you?

Getting it wrong can be more expensive

Are you searching for "free notary" or "cheapest notary" because notary public services are not important or that it's all the same (ie, it doesn't matter who you see to have your documents notarised)? In case you're not sure, the answer to both questions should be a resounding "No".

Most people need notary public services because they're dealing with important issues relating to property, business or personal matters. Some of those issues have serious financial, legal and personal consequences, and that's mistakes can be costly - both in time as well as money. Even if you can afford to pay more to get things fixed or done again, you can't turn back time.

If someone has gone to the trouble or the expense of preparing legal documents and has asked you to have those documents notarised, this generally means that those legal documents are really important and signing them in front of a notary underlines that importance. Does it then mean you can do whatever you like with your documents or just sign your document in front of anyone? No, but unfortunately many people don't read or follow instructions properly, and to make things worse they also don't ask or check.

If your documents originate from or are being signed in Australia, but they're intended to be used in India then in most cases your documents MUST be notarised by a notary public in Australia. If you or someone else have already gone to the trouble of preparing your documents, isn't it justified to ensure that those documents are properly notarised in Australia before sending them to India? What's not justified is spending time and money preparing your documents only to have them incorrectly signed or notarised and having to do it all over again.

Cheap. Fast. Good.

Have you heard this before? If you want it cheap and you want it fast, then it probably won't be good. If you want it fast and good, it probably won't be cheap. If you want it cheap and good, it probably won't be fast.

If you want a realistic appraisal of what we do, it's fast and it's good - and while we're not cheap, we're certainly not expensive either.

Why us?

We've provided notary public services for nearly 20 years and we know a thing or two about providing notary public services - especially to the Indian community. We've seen other lawyers and notaries come and go. We've also seen the quality of their work or heard, through clients, the advice that they provide - unfortunately, that advice is not always correct and their service is often lacking. Experience and expertise count for something - but it's not cheap, but it's not overly expensive either. The cost of our services is exactly where it's meant to be as many of our clients will agree. Maybe the first thing you should do is search for "best notary".

What next?

To obtain a quote on our notary public services for India, please visit https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/notary-fees/.

Acknowledgements

This blog is supported and maintained by Phang Legal. Phang Legal is a leading provider of notary public services in Sydney. With offices conveniently located in Parramatta, Phang Legal supports and services the Indian community across Sydney with readily available and easily accessible notary public services at highly competitive rates.

Frequently asked questions regarding our notary public services can also be found at https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/faqs/.

Ern Phang
Notary Public

Ern Phang is the solicitor director of Phang Legal and a notary public. Ern regularly writes about his experiences as a notary public, including the kinds of problems and solutions that his clients face when sending documents to India.

IMPORTANT: the information in this article is correct at the time of publication, however, the law constantly changes. This means you should always refer to the most recent articles because we try to update this blog on a regular basis with the most current information.

Do you offer discounts for notary fees?

Notary public fees

The NSW Government publishes recommended notary fees for notary public services, however, notaries are not required to follow this scale and can charge whatever they want - or whatever the market is willing to support.

The reality is that notary public services can be expensive because only senior lawyers who have qualified to be a notary public (and admitted as a notary public) can practice as a notary public. Accordingly, when seeking notary public services, you are also asking for assistance from a senior lawyer.

We don't strictly follow the recommended notary fees, which can be complicated and confusing, rather we apply our own discounted fixed fee rate for all of our notary public services. In that way, everyone already receives a discounted fixed fee, cheaper than what they would pay elsewhere. To obtain a quote, please visit our website for more information (see below).

No, notary public services are not free

Perhaps you are confusing a notary public for a justice of the peace. A justice of the peace is a free service. A notary public is not a free service.

If you need to use your documents in Australia, then generally you should be able to use a justice of the peace to attest your documents or to witness your signature. However, if you need to submit your documents to VFS or you need to send your documents to India (or any other country overseas) then likely you would need to have your documents notarised by a notary public.

If you're not sure whether your documents must be notarised by a notary public, then you should ask whoever has asked you to have your documents attested in Australia whether you can have them attested by a justice of the peace. If they accept a justice of the peace, then presumably you don't need to have your documents attested by a notary public.

If your documents must also be authenticated by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or stamped with an apostille (especially if your documents are being used in India or need to be submitted to VFS), then your documents must be notarised by a notary public, they cannot be attested by a justice of the peace.

Why do people think that notary public services are free? 

This is a little confusing. Notary public services around the world are not free, so why do people think that notary public services in Australia would be free? Of course, you may still find notaries who are willing to provide free services - but this would be an exception rather than the general expectation. As mentioned above, perhaps people are confusing notary public services with services of a justice of the peace.

While a notary public and a justice of the peace are titles of roles that come with responsibilities and obligations, many people use the words as though they are verbs.

For example, people ask "can you notary this document?" or "can you justice of the peace this copy?"

That's like asking "can you firefighter this fire?" or "can you policeman this criminal?"

Although it actually doesn't make sense, we still need to understand what people are asking and what they actually need. There are so many people who call us and just say "I want to notary", which we interpret as meaning they require notary public services.

Also, just because we provide notary public services, we are not a justice of the peace and therefore we do not provide services of a justice of the peace. Again, these are just titles of roles that people have for the services that they provide and they are not randomly interchangeable just because someone wants a 'free' service and not a paid service. This means that as a notary public we don't just "JP" a document or "just sign it but don't notary it". Again, that doesn't actually make any sense.

We are a notary public service. As a notary public service we provide notary public services. This means that we notarise documents and notarisation means we sign and seal documents.

Are you the cheapest?

Why is this one of our most commonly asked questions? Sure no one wants to pay more than what they should, but our fee is already low and it's fixed. A lot of other notary public services don't offer this kind of low-cost fixed fee service. If you want to continue to shop around, that's your choice. Everyone's entitled to look for a service provider that's within their budget or price range. We certainly don't guarantee that we're the cheapest, but we're certainly not the most expensive either. But to ask us if we're the cheapest isn't going to help. You'll have to do your own research because we don't promote 'cheap' and we don't promise that we're the cheapest either.

Do you offer further discounts?

We might offer further discounts on certain fees or combinations of documents, especially those required by clients wanting to send their documents to India. However, these discounts are only applied to specific bundles of documents that are notarised together or to multiple documents that need to be notarised exceeding a specific amount (ie, 10+). Discounts aren't applied arbitrarily or just because someone asks.

Many people think that discounts should be applied subjectively and possibly arbitrarily just because they ask. Some even think they're entitled to a discount and they demand a discount.

This is NOT how we operate especially since it's inherently unfair to others. For example, if you ask and are given a discount, but someone else doesn't ask and they aren't given a discount, is that fair? If that doesn't help, how about if someone else received a discount but you don't - for now real reason. Is that fair? Unfortunately, many people seem to think that they're entitled to a discount while totally disregarding what everyone else pays for our services. Why should they be entitled to a discount or why they should pay less than everyone else? Our pricing policy ensures that everyone pays the same fee so that it's fair for everyone.

What do you really want?

So many people want so many things. They want attention now. They want the best service. They want to pay the lowest price. They want the fastest turnaround. They want the closest location. If you can find a notary public who can tick all the boxes, then you're fortunate. But if that's not possible, then you'll need to start to consider what's most important to you. It's about understanding your own priorities.

There's no point calling us for an appointment, but complaining that the price is too high. If the price is too high, then look for someone who is cheaper. There's no point telling us that no one else who is cheaper is available to see you now or that they're further away. We can help you, but you need to choose us to help you. 

What next?

To obtain a quote on our notary public services for India, please visit https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/notary-fees/.

Acknowledgements

This blog is supported and maintained by Phang Legal. Phang Legal is a leading provider of notary public services in Sydney. With offices conveniently located in Parramatta, Phang Legal supports and services the Indian community across Sydney with readily available and easily accessible notary public services at highly competitive rates.

For more information regarding notary public services for documents going to India, view our notary publications at https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/jurisdiction/india-notary/.

Frequently asked questions regarding our notary public services can also be found at https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/faqs/.

Ern Phang
Notary Public

Ern Phang is the solicitor director of Phang Legal and a notary public. Ern regularly writes about his experiences as a notary public, including the kinds of problems and solutions that his clients face when sending documents to India.

IMPORTANT: the information in this article is correct at the time of publication, however, the law constantly changes. This means you should always refer to the most recent articles because we try to update this blog on a regular basis with the most current information.

A free notary public in Sydney?

Where can you find a free notary public in Sydney?

For some reason - and this is not necessarily a blessing - many people seem to think that we provide free notary public services. We don't. It's simply them misunderstanding what Google or any other search engine is telling them.

Just because you search for the term "free notary public" or "notary public for free" does not guarantee that your search results will actually reflect the search terms. In many cases, despite using the keyword 'free', search engines will return searches that relate to 'fee' which means that 'free notary' can also result in 'notary fee'.

What about a justice of the peace?

If you're actually looking for free services to witness or certify documents, you're probably looking for a justice of the peace. The justice of the peace is an honorary community service role and their services are without charge (ie, free). However, the justice of the peace generally will only be recognised for documents used in Australia and not for use overseas.

If you need to sign something for use overseas or you need to certify your documents from Australia for use overseas, then you're probably going to need notary public services. This is especially important if your document must also be stamped with an apostille or authenticated by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (and/or legalised by the foreign office of the intended destination country).

What about for documents going to India?

In most cases, documents that you need to sign or certify in Australia for use in India will need to be notarised by a notary public. Occasionally, you may be able to sign them or have them certified by a justice of the peace, however that's the exception and you're going to have to check it with your lawyer in India first. Some dealings with VFS specifically require you to have your documents notarised and sometimes you also need to have those documents stamped with an apostille from DFAT. All of these things involve the services of a notary public.

Paying for notary public services

There are recommended notary fees, but notaries may charge whatever they deem is appropriate. If you have something complicated, maybe the fees will be higher compared to something that is simple. Generally, a simple request like witnessing or certifying documents will attract a fixed nominal notary fee.

What next?

To obtain a quote on our notary public services for India, please visit https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/notary-fees/.

Acknowledgements

This blog is supported and maintained by Phang Legal. Phang Legal is a leading provider of notary public services in Sydney. With offices conveniently located in Parramatta, Phang Legal supports and services the Indian community across Sydney with readily available and easily accessible notary public services at highly competitive rates.

For more information regarding notary public services for documents going to India, view our notary publications at https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/jurisdiction/india-notary/.

Frequently asked questions regarding our notary public services can also be found at https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/faqs/.

For Hindi to English translation services by NAATI accredited translators, see https://hindi-naati-translation.blogspot.com.au/.

Ern Phang
Notary Public

Ern Phang is the solicitor director of Phang Legal and a notary public. Ern regularly writes about his experiences as a notary public, including the kinds of problems and solutions that his clients face when sending documents to India.

IMPORTANT: the information in this article is correct at the time of publication, however the law constantly changes. This means you should always refer to the most recent articles because we try to update this blog on a regular basis with the most current information.