A Notarized Document Is a Copy of the Document Which Is Certified to Be a True Copy Of

A notarized document is a copy of the document which is certified to be a true copy of the original and signed (notarized) by the one who is a registered Notary Public. In Barbados, notarial acts are performed by the Registrar of the Supreme Court, the Registrar of Titles, the Registrar of Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property and by their respective Deputies and Assistants.

A fee of BDS$20.00 is payable to the Registrar for each notarial act involving the signature of a notary public and the affixing of the notarial seal. If the document to be notarised also has exhibits attached which are to be marked as such by the notary public, an additional fee of BDS$5.00 is charged for each exhibit to be marked. Government stamp duty of BDS$10.00 (in adhesive stamps) is payable on every occasion when an official seal is to be affixed. The necessary stamps should be purchased beforehand and taken to the office of the Registrar along with the documents requiring notarisation. Any person needing to have a document notarised must present identification (passport, National I.D. card or a driver's license) prior to the notarizing of the document.

An apostille to a document is the authentication, by a specially appointed government official, of a copy of a public document which has been notarized as a true copy by a notary public. The apostille is accepted under Hague convention of 1961 to all the countries which are signatories to it. Not all countries of the world are members of The Hague convention, but the majority of English speaking and European countries are members. The Registrar of the Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office in Barbados is authorized to authenticate by means of an Apostille, the signatures of public officials which appear on the official documents and records.The fee for issuance of an Apostille in Barbados is BDS$50.00.