E-Notarize mo na ‘yan! Here is your guide to online notarization in PH

Are you having trouble notarizing your document because of your busy lives? 

The Supreme Court of the Philippines has officially implemented its Rules on Electronic Notarization A.M. No. 24-10-14-SC,  giving way to Filipinos to e-notarize their documents with its first batch of the Electronic Notarization Facilities (ENFs): NotarizeIT, Twala, and QLegal.

Traditional notarization involves physical paper documents, the Notary Public may notarize for principal within its territorial commission only and you’ll need to appear before the Notary Public. 

Compared to traditional notarization, e-notarization involves electronic documents in PDF or PDF/A format, the Electronic Notary Public (ENP) may notarize for principals anywhere in the Philippines (with limited extraterritorial commission), and lastly you can appear physically or virtually before the ENP.

The ENPs have the capacity to see your geolocation and undergo a series of security authentications such as facial recognition, biometrics, and one-time password to make sure that the person is real.

These are the steps you need to follow to get your documents e-notarized:

1. Choose which ENF you’ll be e-notarizing your documents, these are the accredited ENF by the Supreme Court:

2. Prepare your electronic document in PDF or PDF/A format

3. Create an account with the ENP that you’ve chosen and log in to the website

4. Upload your document and complete the verification process such as facial recognition, biometrics, and one-time password.

4. The Principal and/or the witness should appear before the ENP whether in person or online and sign.

5. Lastly, settle your payment using online payment and receive your e-notarized document. Keep in mind that not all documents can be e-notarized, paper documents with hand signatures, notarial wills, and disposition wills will follow the traditional way of notarization.