A notary public is licensed to perform functions such as the authentication of signatures or documents and the witnessing of affidavits or statements of persons under oath. Notarization of a document is important as the act of notarization creates a guarantee on the authenticity of a document or to the specific intension of the signatories to an agreement.
Procedures for notarization and commissioning vary from country-to-country.
China: in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), lawyers cannot notarize documents since, pursuant to PRC law, notarization in China is administered by official notarization organizations. These organizations are governed and approved by provincial judicial authorities.
Hong Kong and China: Some documents such as a Business Registration Certificate and Certificate of Incorporation which are used for establishing a foreign invested enterprise in mainland China must be notarized by a China Appointed Attestation Officer, which is a qualified Hong Kong lawyer who has passed the prescribed qualifying examinations to be appointed by the Ministry of Justice of the People’s Republic of China to notarize documents for use in mainland China.
Japan: in Japan a notary is a public official who is appointed by the Minister of Justice to notarize documents. Any person qualified as a judge, public prosecutor or attorney may become a notary or any person who possesses academic and practical skills similar to a judge, public prosecutor or attorney who has been engaged in legal affairs for many years may be selected by the Notary Selection Committee to become a notary public.
Singapore: In Singapore, a notary public must be a qualified and senior lawyer. The Board of Commissioners for Oaths and Notaries Public appoints eligible lawyers as notaries.
Thailand: The Lawyers Council of Thailand regulates the practice of notarial services. A Thai lawyer is required to undergo and pass a professional training course before he or she can be registered as a Notarial Services Attorney.
When residing or doing business in an Asia country, it may be difficult to find a Notary Public. For example, if an individual is based in or doing business in mainland China and purchasing a house in Canada, he/she will need to locate a Canadian Notary Public to confirm his/her identity and authenticate property purchase and sale agreements, banking and other documents related to the closing of a property sale. Moxiu has qualified lawyers to provide notarization services in many jurisdictions of Asia such as China (Canadian Notary officer), Thailand (French and Thai Notary officers) and Hong Kong.
Our professionals provide the following services:
- Canadian Notary Public service – e.g. notarizing banking, property closing, marriage, divorce, power of attorney forms, client identification forms and other Canadian documents
- China Appointed Attestation Officer notarization service in Hong Kong – e.g. notarization of the business license of the parent company of a Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise (WFOE) in China, which is required when a WFOE is established
- Japan Notary Public service
- Singapore Notary Public service
- Notarial Services Attorney in Thailand
- Notarization of evidence for trademark and patent infringement cases, law suits and other legal documents in China and Southeast Asia
- Notarizations in Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore and Southeast Asia