Portuguese Public Notary

Public notaries in Portugal are public servants, representing the state. The profession of public notary in Portugal is regulated by the public administration and falls under the authority of the Minister of Justice, who also appoints public notaries in Portugal for life. The activities of a public notary in Portugal are also stated in the Notarial Code of 1967. A Portuguese public notary represents the government and his responsibility is to protect the state, not the two parties that are signing an agreement for a specific transaction.

Admission

A person who wants to become a public notary in Portugal must meet some requirements. The candidate for a public notary in Portugal must hold a degree in law at a Portuguese University or an equivalent qualification recognised by the Portuguese law. In addition to that, a future public notary in Portugal must attend an internship as adjunct trainee and finish it with good results. Since there is a limited number of positions for internships, a candidate must apply to the Minister of Justice. The period of training consists of eight months in the Notary’s office, six months in the Property Register and four months at the Civil Registry. The trainer will give grades to the trainee at the end of his stage and the candidates with the best results will become adjuncts for public notaries in Portugal. In order to become a qualified Portuguese public notary, a candidate must pass a state examination.

Activities

A public notary in Portugal has plenty of responsibilities, including drawing up public wills, registering terms of identification in some documents, drawing certificates of Life and Identity and any other certificates that have been verified prior to notarisation. Moreover, a Portuguese public notary can certify translated documents from one language to another. He can also issue copies of instruments and documents after checking the original acts claimed by the interested parties. Last but not least, a public notary in Portugal legalises signatures and witnesses the buyer and the seller when signing the papers for a transaction in order to guarantee the legal character of the document.

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