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Booking a Session
Before you book
- Have your document(s) ready — PDF only. Other formats are rejected at upload
- Check that you have a working camera and microphone for the video session
- Review the notary's profile to confirm they handle your document type and are in your preferred location
Complete identity verification before you book. It is required for every session on NotariseIt, and you will not be able to book or pay until it is done. A notarisation is itself a check of who you are, so this is the one step that has to come first. It takes a few minutes, lasts twelve months, and covers every notary on the platform. See Identity Verification.
Step 1 — Find a notary
- Click Find a Notary from the homepage, or Find Notaries in your dashboard sidebar.
- Use the filters: search by notary name or organisation, specialisation, or minimum rating.
- Click a notary's name to view their full profile — commission state, languages, the document types they accept, client ratings, and their availability.
Prices appear when you build a booking, not on the profile
A notary's profile lists the document types they handle but not their fees. Every notary sets their own prices above the ₦5,000 statutory minimum, and per-page documents are priced by length — so a figure on the profile would be wrong for most bookings. You see the exact fee for your documents at Step 4, before you pay anything.
"Accepts for Notarisation" — what the list means
Notaries take every document type NotariseIt supports unless they choose to narrow the list, so most profiles show all of them. The section says which case applies: whether the notary has picked the types they take, or has simply not restricted the list. Either way, what you see is what they will accept.
Every notary requires verified identity
You can browse notaries, compare them and see their available times without verifying. Booking is where it is needed: the Book button will ask you to verify first if you have not, and payment is held back with it.
Verification lasts twelve months. A lapsed check counts as unverified, so renew it before it expires — we email you in advance. A session already booked and paid for is unaffected if your check lapses afterwards, but you will be asked to renew before the notary can start it. See Identity Verification.
If the identity service is unavailable
Occasionally the provider we use is down. That is our problem, not yours, so we let the booking go ahead and email you as soon as it is working again. Because we do not store your ID number, you will need to enter it once more — it takes a couple of minutes, and it needs doing before your session can start.
Not sure which notary or document type to choose?
The AI virtual assistant (chat icon, bottom-right of the page) can help — ask it questions like "What is the difference between an affidavit and a statutory declaration?" or "Do I need a notary in my state?" before you book.
Step 2 — Choose a time slot
- On the notary's profile, click Book This Notary.
- Pick a date, then choose one of the available time slots.
All times are West Africa Time
Slots are shown in WAT (GMT+1) — the notary's jurisdiction — whether you are booking from Lagos or abroad. The label appears above the slot grid and again on the review step.
Step 3 — Upload your documents
- Click Upload and select your file (PDF only).
- Repeat for each additional document if you have more than one. The file picker takes one document at a time, so add them one by one.
- For each document, select the document type from the dropdown (e.g. Affidavit, Deed of Assignment, Power of Attorney). This is required for every document — it is what prices the notarial act, and the booking cannot go forward without it.
- For document types priced per page, the page count is read from the PDF automatically. You do not enter it, and the fee shown already includes the multiplication.
Your document isn't on the list?
Choose General Document, in the General Documents category. It is the catch-all for anything the catalogue does not name specifically, priced at the statutory minimum unless your notary has set their own fee for general work.
Only reach for it when nothing else fits. Picking the type that genuinely describes your document gets you the right price and a more accurate record of what was notarised.
Document limits
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Format | PDF only (.pdf) |
| Maximum file size | 10 MB per file |
| Maximum length | 150 pages per file |
| Files per upload | 1 — add documents one at a time |
Documents over 150 pages or 10 MB are rejected at upload and you will need to split or compress them before re-uploading. Documents over 50 pages are accepted but will display a large-document notice — the notary is informed and may contact you to discuss the scope.
Live fee estimate
The total fee (notarisation fee + service charge + VAT) updates in real time as you add documents and select types. You will see the full breakdown before confirming.
How each document is priced
| Pricing model | How the fee is worked out |
|---|---|
| Flat | The notary's fee for that document type, charged once. |
| Per page | The notary's rate multiplied by the number of pages in your PDF. A 4-page document at ₦3,000 a page is ₦12,000. |
The ₦5,000 statutory minimum applies to the total for each document, not to a per-page rate. So a per-page rate below ₦5,000 is perfectly normal and lawful — a 4-page document at ₦3,000 a page comes to ₦12,000, well above the floor. A single-page document at that rate would work out at ₦3,000, so it is charged at ₦5,000 instead.
Every document in your booking is priced this way on its own, and the results are added together.
Step 4 — Review the cost
- Review the fee breakdown carefully.
- If the notary has set booking terms, read and accept them before proceeding.
- Fees start from ₦5,000 per document — the statutory minimum under the Second Schedule to the Notaries Public Act 2023 (s.10). Notaries may charge more depending on document type.
- Each document is charged separately. Two affidavits in one session are two notarial acts and cost twice one affidavit, even though they share a type.
What makes up your total
| Line | What it is |
|---|---|
| Notarisation fee | Your notary's fee for each document, priced flat or per page. |
| Service charge | The platform fee, calculated on the notarisation fee. |
| VAT | 7.5%, on the service charge only — not on the whole total. |
| Extended session | Only if you book a longer session than your notary offers. See below. |
| Payment processing fee | Paystack's charge for taking the payment. |
| Amount payable | What will actually leave your account. |
Worked example
A single-page affidavit with a notary charging the ₦5,000 minimum:
| Notarisation fee | ₦5,000.00 |
| Service charge | ₦100.00 |
| VAT (7.5% on service charge) | ₦7.50 |
| Payment processing fee | ₦179.31 |
| Amount payable | ₦5,286.81 |
The payment processing fee
Card payments are handled by Paystack, who charge 1.5% + ₦100 for each transaction, capped at ₦2,000. The ₦100 is waived on payments under ₦2,500.
That fee is added to your total and shown as its own line before you pay, so the amount on the Paystack checkout page is exactly the amount the app quoted you.
Longer sessions
Every notary sets a standard session length. Your booking includes that length at no extra cost — and never less than the platform's 25-minute base.
Once you have picked a time slot, a Session length selector appears beneath it. It defaults to your notary's standard length, marked included, and each longer option shows exactly what the extra time adds. The figure is also itemised as Extended session on the Review step before you pay.
If you choose a session longer than your notary's standard length, the extra time is charged in 5-minute blocks. Part of a block counts as a whole one, because the notary has to hold the time open either way.
| Your notary's session length | You book | You pay extra for |
|---|---|---|
| 25 minutes | 25 minutes | Nothing |
| 25 minutes | 45 minutes | 20 minutes — 4 blocks |
| 30 minutes | 45 minutes | 15 minutes — 3 blocks |
| 60 minutes | 45 minutes | Nothing |
| 60 minutes | 90 minutes | 30 minutes — 6 blocks |
Why longer sessions are charged
Long sessions are a legitimate need and stay available — you are not capped at 25 minutes. But a booked slot is time your notary cannot offer anyone else, so holding an hour for an act that takes fifteen minutes has a real cost. Pricing the extra time keeps longer sessions available for the people who genuinely need them.
Step 5 — Pay
- Click Pay now.
- You will be taken to the Paystack checkout page.
- Complete payment by card or bank transfer.
The amount on Paystack matches the amount we showed you
The Final amount due on the payment step already includes the Paystack processing fee, so the figure on the checkout page is the same one you agreed to.
You have 30 minutes to complete payment
Your booking slot is held for 30 minutes from the moment you reach the payment step. A live countdown runs on the payment step, and the Complete payment banner in Dashboard → Appointments shows how long is left on a booking you have not finished paying for. If payment is not completed within that window — including any delays from bank OTP prompts, network drops, or re-attempting a failed card — the booking is automatically cancelled and the slot is released back to other clients.
If this happens, you will receive a cancellation email and you can simply rebook the same notary (or another) on a new slot. No charge is made for a booking cancelled due to payment timeout.
To avoid timeout issues:
- Have your card details ready before clicking Pay now.
- If your bank sends an OTP, action it immediately — do not leave the Paystack page.
- On a slow connection, use a card transfer rather than bank transfer (bank transfers can take longer to confirm).
- On successful payment, you will receive a booking confirmation email with:
- Session date and time
- Notary name and contact
- A link to join the session
- A reminder to test your camera and microphone at least 15 minutes before the session. You can run the check at any time at www.notariseit.com/av-test — no login needed. See Pre-Session Tech Check.
Do the tech check early
Camera and microphone problems are the most common cause of session delays. Running the check the day before takes two minutes and means you can fix any issues without time pressure.
Cancelling a booking
Go to Dashboard → Appointments → [Your Booking] → Cancel. Your refund eligibility is shown before you confirm, and cancelling triggers an automatic refund via Paystack.
There is no reschedule
Cancel is the only control on an upcoming booking. To move a session, cancel the existing booking and make a new one — the refund follows the policy below, so cancelling outside the window costs you nothing on the notarisation fee. Documents already uploaded stay in My Documents and can be attached to the new booking.
Cancellation & refund policy
Three charges are never refunded, whenever you cancel: the platform service charge, the VAT on it, and the payment processing fee — the last of these went to Paystack rather than to NotariseIt, so it cannot be returned from here. What comes back to you is the notarisation fee, and how much of it depends on how far in advance you cancel:
| When you cancel | Notarisation fee refunded to you |
|---|---|
| More than 2 hours before the session | 100% — full refund |
| Within 2 hours of the session | 70% — 20% goes to the notary as compensation for their reserved time; 10% is retained by the platform |
Worked example, on a ₦7,879.45 booking: ₦7,500.00 notarisation fee, ₦150.00 service charge, ₦11.25 VAT, ₦218.20 processing fee. Cancel more than 2 hours ahead and ₦7,500.00 is returned. Cancel inside 2 hours and ₦5,250.00 is.
The exact amounts in naira are displayed on the cancellation confirmation screen before you confirm, so there are no surprises.
Refunds are processed via Paystack and typically appear in your account within 5–10 business days.
You will receive a reminder email approximately 7 hours before your session notifying you that the free cancellation window is about to close, and a further email at 90 minutes before if the penalty applies.
If your notary cancels
A booking that was moved to you after a notary cancellation carries no penalty. If the replacement time no longer suits you, cancel it and the full notarisation fee is returned however close to the session you are.
Cancel early to avoid the penalty
If you no longer need the session, cancel as soon as possible. Cancelling more than 2 hours before the session costs you nothing on the notarisation fee.
Session reminders
Reminders are sent automatically, on a fixed schedule. There is nothing to switch on and nothing to switch off — clients have no reminder settings.
| When | Channel | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| 24 hours before | Your session is tomorrow | |
| 7 hours before | Free cancellation window closes in 1 hour | |
| 90 minutes before | Cancellation penalty now applies | |
| 1 hour before | Your session is in 1 hour | |
| 30 minutes before | Checklist and join link |
Why you cannot turn these off
Missing a session costs you money. Cancelling inside the two-hour window returns only 70% of the notarisation fee, and not attending at all can carry a no-show fee — so NotariseIt takes responsibility for making sure you were told, rather than leaving it to a setting you might have switched off months earlier. Two of the five emails exist purely to warn you that the free-cancellation window is closing.
Times in every reminder are West Africa Time, the same zone the session is scheduled in.
Reminders are email only
Every reminder above arrives by email, and email is currently the only channel that sends. WhatsApp, SMS and automated voice-call reminders are built but not yet switched on.
When they do go live, SMS and voice calls will be part of a notary's practice subscription and will go to the notary alone — a client will not receive either on any plan. The email schedule above is unconditional either way.
Appointment statuses
Your booking carries a status and, separately, a payment status. Both are shown as chips on the appointment row, so seeing two chips side by side — for example Paid next to scheduled — is normal. They are answering two different questions.
Booking status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending payment | Booking created, payment not yet completed |
| Scheduled | Booking is confirmed and the session has not yet run |
| Confirmed | Booking is confirmed and payment has been received |
| In progress | The session is open and running — a Join Session button appears |
| Completed | Session finished — certificate issued |
| Cancelled | Session cancelled by either party |
Payment status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Paid | Payment has been received for this booking |
| Refunded | Payment has been refunded, in whole or in part |
On the Sessions page you may also see:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Live | It is session time — your notary will open the room shortly |
| Expired | The session window passed without the session running |