The practice of notarization dates back to ancient Roman times, when few people were taught to read and write. A notary public has been appointed by a public official to draw up written agreements or wills and hold them in safe custody. Wax seals with individual engravings or symbols were used as signatures at the end of written agreements. In later centuries, ribbons were woven into multi-page documents to bind the pages together. Seals have been placed on top of the nodes to ensure that pages have not been added or deleted. That's how the notary's seal and certificate came into being. In colonial America, public notaries were appointed by persons of high moral character to certify and preserve transportation documents and bills of lading for transatlantic shipments. In France, notarization dates back to the Xl century, the oldest acts are in the local language or Latin and require good paleography skills to decipher them. As a result of the Revolution, notarial offices were no longer inheritable. Royal, apostolic and lord notaries are abolished in favor of public notaries.
A notary public is an officer of the law who is appointed for life by the Supreme Court and is vested with the legislative authority to draw up, authenticate and execute documents for both national and international purposes. It is important to note that not all solicitors are public notaries , but all public notaries are solicitors.
Notarial acts
Notarial acts are necessary for legal proceedings and have been used for centuries to ensure the authenticity of documents. They are used to confirm the identity of individuals, witness signatures, and to certify the validity of documents. Notarial acts are performed by a public notary and are recognized in all countries as an official act of government.
There are different types of notarial acts, each with its own set of legal requirements and specific purposes.
Confirmation
Confirmation is a notarial act by which a person appears before a public notary at the same time and place and produces the document to be confirmed. If the notary does not know the individual, she must provide the notary with sufficient documentation to prove the individual's identity.
Copy certification
The certification of a copy occurs when a document and identical copies of the document are presented to a public notary public. Upon inspection, if the public notary determines that the copies are in fact duplicates of the original, the public notary may certify that the copies are complete, accurate, and identical to the original.
Jurat
Jurats is a notarial act that requires the signer to swear or affirm that the contents of the document are true. This notarial act is commonly used for affidavits and other legal statements.