Notarising and Apostilling Documents for Family Offices and Private Individuals

Notarising and apostilling documents for family offices and private individuals is the process of certifying personal, civil and estate-related documents so they can be relied on by banks, courts, notaries and registries in other countries. Because family office matters often touch several jurisdictions at once — property abroad, inheritance across borders, family members in different countries — the practical challenge is not one document but coordinating many, quickly and discreetly.

Which personal documents typically need apostille?

• Powers of attorney for foreign property, banking or estate matters
• Certified copies of passports and national IDs
• Marriage certificates, birth certificates and civil status extracts
• Divorce decrees and certificates of no impediment to marriage
• Wills, probate extracts and inheritance-related declarations
• Trust and foundation documents where a family office holds assets abroad
• Corporate documents for private investment vehicles

Why do family offices use a single coordinator?

A single matter — a property purchase, a succession, opening an account for a family investment vehicle — often requires notarised documents from several family members who live in different countries. Handling each one through a local notary means multiple appointments, different fee structures, inconsistent formats, and repeated back-and-forth with the receiving lawyer or bank abroad. A single coordinator standardises the process: one point of contact, one workflow, and one predictable timeline for every document in the package.

Does it work if family members are in different countries?

Yes. Each signer joins the video meeting from their own location using a valid passport or national ID. There is no requirement for family members to travel to Sweden or to be in the same room as each other. This is particularly useful for succession and probate matters where beneficiaries are spread across several jurisdictions, and where in-person coordination would take weeks.

How is privacy and discretion handled?

Documents are exchanged over secure channels and the notarial record is kept by the Notarius Publicus in Sweden. The coordinating team handles only the information needed to schedule the meeting and route the document. Sensitive contents — beneficiary identities, asset details, family circumstances — remain between the signer, the notary and the receiving party abroad. For family offices with existing confidentiality frameworks, standard NDAs can be added to the engagement.

Remote video vs. local notary vs. embassy — what is the difference?

Typical scenarios

Common cases include a power of attorney so a lawyer abroad can complete a property purchase on the family's behalf, apostilled marriage or birth certificates for citizenship-by-descent applications, notarised copies of passports for opening accounts at private banks in other jurisdictions, and inheritance-related declarations required by foreign probate courts. In each case the underlying need is the same: the receiving authority must be certain the document is genuine and issued in Sweden.

Related reading: apostille for power of attorney and apostille for marriage abroad.

Book an intro call to scope the documents for a family or estate matter, or read the full FAQ.