Cross-border · Certificates of foreign law
Certificates of foreign law — produced in-house, in the right language, ready to file
When an estate crosses two legal systems, someone has to prove to one country's authorities what the other country's law says. Because Colin Carroll is both the regulated local lawyer in all four countries and a practising England & Wales solicitor (overseas only), we produce these certificates ourselves.
A lawyer, notary or adviser in Portugal, Spain, France or Italy? Português · Español · Français · Italiano →
The three certificates
| The certificate | When you need it | Forum | Fixed fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of English Law | An English will must be acted on over a PT/ES/IT/FR asset | the local notary or registry | from €1,200 (€2,200 complex); free where we handle the estate |
| Certificate of PT/ES/IT/FR law | Someone who lived in our countries left UK assets and the UK needs proof of that country's law | the E&W Probate Registry (NCPR r.19), or any forum that accepts a qualified foreign lawyer's evidence | from €1,200 |
| Expert-witness opinion | Heirs are in dispute abroad and a neutral expert is needed | a court | by retainer — enquire |
Delivered in the national language, ready to file — Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French and English law, all certified in-house and signed by the same dual-qualified lawyer.
By country
The country pages answer the question the way the notary asks it:
Why in-house matters
The usual route is slow and costly: a certificate drawn up by a separate lawyer abroad, then sworn-translated and legalised, then filed — adding cost and weeks at the worst possible time. Because the same person is qualified in the home-country law and is the regulated local lawyer, we draft it once, in the language the receiving authority needs, and file it. One lawyer, one document, no hand-off.
A note on scope
We certify the law we are qualified in — Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French and English law, all in-house. Where a matter needs the law of another country certified — German law, say — we tell you straight away and point you to the right lawyer for it. We are a non-contentious firm; acting as a neutral expert witness is compatible with that, but we do not litigate.
Your work is signed personally by Colin Carroll — a dual-qualified solicitor, admitted in both England and Ireland, who has lived and worked on the European continent for twenty-five years. Today he is the registered, insured lawyer with the Ordem dos Advogados (the Portuguese Bar) and the bars of Spain, Italy and France, under EU Directive 98/5/EC, with professional-indemnity insurance in each country of practice.
For solicitors and executors who need proof of foreign law for a grant — instruct us directly.
