Simplifying Notary Processes: Online Validation Now Possible
Visiting a notary in person to validate procedures is no longer a necessity. The recent publication of the EU directive transposition law in the Official State Gazette (BOE) has given a green light to digital notary acts, ensuring the same legal security as before but in an online environment. Now, meetings can be held via video conferencing and document authorization and signing can be performed through certified electronic platforms.
This new method is expected to facilitate electronic authorization and signing of over 3.2 million notarial documents per year. Examples include all corporate documents, commercial policies, various types of notarial powers, payment letters, warranty cancellations, and more. José Ángel Martínez Sanchiz, president of the General Council of Notaries, ensures that "notarial intervention will always provide legal security".
The law, which transposes EU Directive 2019/1151, allows an EU citizen to establish a limited company in another member country without physical presence. It recommends maintaining each country's legal systems while providing a secure and agile model to combat money laundering and tax fraud.
The digital security of the process is guaranteed through the qualified electronic signature of notaries, their electronic headquarters, and their private network. Notarial electronic protocols will be deposited in the General Council of Notaries and can only be accessed and used by the titular notary.
Environmental Impact
The approval of this standard, which will take effect in six months, extends the list of procedures that notaries can perform remotely. Digitalization of these actions not only speeds up processes but also saves paper and reduces travel. It's estimated that authorized electronic copies could save up to 17 million euros per year.
Business and legal acts that can be authorized online include all corporate acts, commercial policies, representation powers for action before public administrations, payment letters, warranty cancellations, among others. This revolutionary shift in Spanish notary services is anticipated to make legal processes more accessible, efficient, and environmentally friendly.
