29 August 2024

What is the Letter of Undertaking?

Learn about the Letter of Undertaking, in what situations you might need one, and how a notary can help you.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

The Letter of Undertaking is an important document that you will likely get in the event that you have to swear before a court that you will carry out a specific act or obligation. It is legally binding, and so there will be repercussions if you fail to carry out your duties.

For such an important document to be used abroad, you will need to get it both notarised and legalised before it is accepted as valid and authentic.

Read on to find out what situations you will need to get a Letter of Undertaking in, and how a Notary Public such as ourselves can help you.

When you might need a Letter of Undertaking

Specific situations that you may be given a Letter of Undertaking can include:

Financial transactions to assure a party that you will repay any loans you have taken out from them; for example, repaying a bank loan, or a loan to an individual such as a family member
Release your partner from your joint mortgage if you are going through divorce proceedings
Pay child support following divorce proceedings
You may be asked not to do something as well, such as if you have done something in the past that you are being told to not do any more
One example we encountered was a client who wanted to go to India, and needed to prove they had no ties to Pakistan. This is to check if they ever held citizenship or had a Pakistani passport

How do I get a Letter of Undertaking?

A Letter of Undertaking will need to be drafted. You could do this yourself, but we recommend getting the assistance of a legal professional.

Getting your Letter of Undertaking drafted by an expert not only saves you time and stress, it will also ensure that your letter includes all the important information that will be necessary for your letter to be accepted under whatever circumstances you require it for.

Our drafting team can assist you with creating your Letter of Undertaking; they will ensure that your letter is accurate and fits the requirements of the country you are going to.

Why you will need a Notary Public

If you need to take your Letter of Undertaking abroad to use it, then you will first need to get it both notarised and legalised.

Getting your Letter of Undertaking notarised means it will be accepted as a legitimate and authentic document, and proves that your signature on the document is true. The notary will witness you signing the document, as well as verify your identity, and the contents of the document. Once this has been done, they will sign and stamp the document with their seal.

Once your letter has been notarised, it will then need to be legalised. Legalisation verifies that the notary’s seal and signature is legitimate, and gives your document equal legal weight so it will be accepted in the country you want to go to.

Legalisation can take different forms depending on what country you are going to, with some accepting just apostilles, some requiring embassy legalisation, and a small number allowing both.

We can help you with all of the above, as we offer both notarisation and legalisation services for your Letter of Undertaking.

Translating your Letter of Undertaking

Alongside getting your letter notarised and legalised, you may also need to get it translated by a Sworn Translator.

Whether you need to get it translated or not will vary based on which country you plan on going to. For example, if you want to use it in Spain, you will need to get it translated into Spanish.

How we can help

As a registered Notary Public, not only can we assist you with notarising your Letter of Undertaking, but we can also assist you with legalisation, drafting your letter, and we may even be able to help you with getting your document translated.

To get your letter notarised, you can call our team and book an appointment to meet our Notary Public of England and Wales, Nathan Woodcock. You have the option of meeting Nathan at one of our offices in London, Manchester, or Sheffield.

Alternatively, you can make use of our mobile notary service to meet Nathan at a suitable time and place of your own choosing. This could be at your home, an office, a café, or somewhere else.

Once your Letter of Undertaking has been notarised, you will need to get it legalised. If you need to get an apostille for your destination country, we have standard and fast-track service options for getting an apostille from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Additionally, if your letter of undertaking needs to be translated, we may be able to help arrange this for you as well. Please mention this when you contact our team about what you want doing.

Get in touch with us today to see how we can help you with your Letter of Undertaking.