There are simple things you can do to save money before you see a notary. Otherwise a notary is entitled to charge for the time it takes to do this work.
If you are having documents certified as true copies you do not need the notary to make the copy (since the notary will compare the original against the copy) You can bring in the copy and the original of each document. Today I had a client bring in lengthy documents which were printed front and back. It took me over a quarter of an hour to make the copies.
If you are signing on behalf of a company and the notary is required to confirm that you are an officer it makes sense to have an ASIC search ready to verify details (although many notaries including myself will insist on doing the ASIC search themselves).
The rule of thumb is to think through anything that you can do in advance. If in doubt call ahead and discuss with the notary. You may also want to send documents in advance for the notary to review. The notary is entitled to charge for this but it is usually more cost effective than sorting out problems in a consult.
