Justice Ministry amends law to make notary services available to all

The Government of Georgia and the Ministry of Justice is amending a current law to make notary services available for all Georgian citizens, particularly those in mountainous or rural areas.

The Ministry of Justice of Georgia has already discussed amendments to the Notary Law, which involved supporting newly-qualified individuals to serve for three years in areas where notary services are currently not available. 

Once the notary served three years in mountainous or rural areas of Georgia, their exam qualification fees would be reimbursed, the Ministry announced today.

A notary is a lawyer or person with legal training who is licensed by the Government to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on official documents.

Currently there are 252 notary bureaus in Georgia, 146 in capital Tbilisi; 12 in coastal Batumi and 11 in central Kutaisi. The remaining 86 notary bureaus serve the rest of the country, with none or very few in the country’s mountainous or rural areas, noted the Ministry of Justice.

The Ministry stressed that in the majority of cases, notary bureaus refrained from performing in mountainous regions or in a wide range of Georgian municipalities due to lack of income and high expenses.

To support this vital service and encourage people to upskill as an official notary, the Notary Chamber of Georgia – the state body protecting the interests of notaries – will financially support the individual while they served three years in a remote or rural area.

If the notary decided to remain in the same area after working for three years, the Chamber will continue to offer financial assistance, said the Ministry. It would also refund the 150 GEL examination fee to individuals who successfully passed their exams.  

According to the amendments the Ministry of Justice will specify the area where the notary should conduct his/her work, however the exact location of the bureau will be selected by the notary themselves.

After three years the notary may change the area where they work or remain in the same location.

The amendments have already been sent to Georgia’s Parliament for discussion and approval, the Ministry announced.