Demand for notary-certified digitization of documents has increased fivefold

Over the past five years, the demand for notarized translation of paper documents into electronic ones has grown more than five times, according to statistics from the Federal Notary Chamber (FNP). This is a service in which a notary digitizes papers and certifies them with his enhanced qualified electronic signature. In the first half of 2022, notaries have already performed 2.6 million such actions, and for the whole of 2021 – 4.6 million. The chamber notes that in 2018 Russians applied for this service about 1 million times.

The chamber explains that notarial digitization can significantly save time: instead of sending or courier delivery of a paper document, you can send it by e-mail. A digital copy certified by a notary remains legally valid and is equivalent to a “paper” document. “It is often through notarial “teleportation” that at the last moment it is possible to transfer consent to the child’s departure abroad and thereby get rid of problems at the border,” an example is given in the chamber. “An entrepreneur does not have to waste time traveling if the counterparty is located at the other end of the country “.

The FNP notes that notaries provide the service of digital transfer of documents from an individual or legal entity to other individuals and legal entities. “This option of delivering documents is used when you need to send an application for acceptance of an inheritance to another city and thereby fulfill the requirement of the law to comply with a six-month period from the date of death of the testator,” they give an example in the chamber. “Through a notary, you can also send papers to the court or to that the tax one – this option became especially in demand during the pandemic, when courts and other authorities suspended the face-to-face reception of applicants, which is why many risked missing the deadlines for submitting documents. In the corporate sphere, this action is in demand in terms of sending notifications on transactions, where notarial confirmation is important – for example, to notify an LLC about a completed transaction. In addition, it is through a notary that legal entities often transfer information about their activities to the Federal Resource, as well as information about bankruptcy to the EFRSB. Over 100,000 applicants applied for this service in the first six months of 2022, the FNP stresses.

Ivan Tyazhlov