How to Get a Document Notarized in the Philippines

What notarization does

Notarization is an official act of a notary public, a lawyer commissioned by a court. The Supreme Court has said it is not an empty or routine act: it converts a private document into a public document, which can be used in court without further proof that it is authentic.

Only the notary's part, the jurat or acknowledgment, carries the presumption that the official act was regularly done. Notarization does not guarantee that the statements in the document are true or that its contents are valid.

Some documents must be public documents by law. The Civil Code requires this for acts and contracts that create, transfer, change or end real rights over land and buildings, and for a power of attorney to do an act that must itself appear in a public document. Deeds and powers of attorney presented for land registration must be acknowledged before a notary public or other authorized officer.

Jurat or acknowledgment: which one your document needs

A jurat is used for sworn statements, such as an affidavit of loss or an affidavit of undertaking. You appear in person, are identified, sign in front of the notary, and swear or affirm that the contents are true.

An acknowledgment is used for deeds, contracts and powers of attorney, such as a deed of sale or a special power of attorney (SPA). You appear in person with the complete document, are identified, and declare that you signed it voluntarily as your free act. If you sign for someone else, you also declare that you have authority to sign in that capacity.

Because a jurat must be signed in front of the notary, the simplest approach for any document is to wait and sign at the notary's office.

Who can notarize

Only a notary public with a current commission may notarize. The Executive Judge of a Regional Trial Court issues commissions to lawyers in good standing, for two years starting 1 January of the year of issue.

Commissions are territorial. A traditional notary may act only within the territorial jurisdiction of the commissioning court, and normally only at their regular office. Limited exceptions inside that territory include a hospital where a party is confined or a place where a party is detained.

The notarial certificate must show the notary's name, commission number, place and expiry of the commission, office address, roll of attorneys number, PTR number and IBP number. The Executive Judge keeps a register of notaries public and issues certificates of authority on request.

A notary cannot notarize a document they are a party to, or for their spouse, common-law partner, or a relative within the fourth civil degree.

What to bring

Fill in every blank before you go. The Rules prohibit notaries from notarizing a blank or incomplete document.

• The complete document, still unsigned if it needs a jurat. For a contract, bring an extra signed original because the notary keeps one for their records.
• At least one current government-issued ID with your photo and signature. The Supreme Court's examples include a passport, driver's license, PRC ID, NBI or police clearance, postal ID, voter's ID, GSIS e-card, SSS card, PhilHealth card, senior citizen card, OWWA or OFW ID, seaman's book, government office ID and barangay certification.
• No ID? One credible witness not involved in the document, whom the notary personally knows and who personally knows you; or two such witnesses who each know you and show their own IDs.
• Every person who must sign. Deeds for land registration must also be signed before two witnesses, who should come along.
• Written proof of your authority if you are signing for another person or for a company.

At the notary's office and what gets recorded

The notary checks your identity and has you sign (and, for a jurat, swear). The notary must refuse if the transaction appears unlawful, if you seem not to understand its consequences, or if you do not appear to be acting of your own free will.

Every notarial act goes into the notarial register, a bound book. The entry records the date and time, type of act, document title, each principal's name and address, the ID or credible witnesses used, the fee, and the place if not the notary's office. You sign or thumbmark the register, and the notary writes the entry number and register page on your document.

For acknowledged documents, the notary sends a PDF duplicate original to the clerk of court. Since 21 June 2025, the notary must also send each signatory a PDF copy at no extra cost unless you waive it. Compare it with your paper copy and notify the notary in writing of any material difference.

Signing through a representative

An affidavit is your own sworn statement, so you must appear and swear to it yourself. For deeds and contracts, another person can sign for you if you give them authority; that person appears before the notary and declares their authority to sign.

The Civil Code requires a special power of attorney for many acts, including buying or selling real property, creating or conveying real rights over it, lending or borrowing money, leasing real property for more than one year, and making you a guarantor or surety. A sale of land through an agent is void unless the agent's authority is in writing, and an SPA for an act that must be in a public document must itself be a public document, so it should be notarized.

If you cannot write your signature, the Rules allow a thumbmark; if you cannot sign or make a mark at all, the notary may sign at your direction. Both require two disinterested witnesses.

Electronic and remote notarization

The 2020 Interim Rules on Remote Notarization of Paper Documents (A.M. No. 20-07-04-SC), a pandemic stopgap, were repealed by the Rules on Electronic Notarization (A.M. No. 24-10-14-SC), effective March 2025. Paper documents with handwritten signatures remain under the 2004 Rules and still require personal appearance.

Electronic notarization covers PDF or PDF/A documents, including scanned paper documents, but not notarial wills or depositions. It must be done by an Electronic Notary Public (ENP), who holds a separate electronic notarial commission, using a Supreme Court-accredited Electronic Notarization Facility that verifies identity. You may appear in person or by video conference inside that platform. A notarization over an ordinary video call, or by a notary with only a traditional commission, does not qualify.

ENPs may notarize for people anywhere in the Philippines. From abroad, you must be inside a Philippine embassy, consulate or honorary consul's office, and an officer there must confirm your presence.

Status as of 28 September 2026: the Supreme Court's list of commissioned ENPs dated 25 September 2026 says electronic notarization officially launches on 19 October 2026. Check the Supreme Court's eNotarization page before relying on it.

Fees and red flags

A notary may charge up to the maximum fee prescribed by the Supreme Court, or waive it. We could not confirm a current nationwide peso schedule, so fees vary; ask before proceeding. The notary must post a complete fee schedule in the office, issue a BIR-registered receipt, and agree with you in advance on any travel fee. No fee may be charged for digitizing or emailing copies. Electronic notarial fees follow any Supreme Court fee guide, plus reasonable telecommunication costs.

Watch out for these:

• Offers to notarize without you appearing, such as sending only your ID. The Supreme Court disciplines notaries for this, and a defective notarization strips a document of its public character.
• Being asked to sign blank or incomplete pages.
• A notary who does not check your ID, does not have you sign the register, or whose certificate lacks commission details.
• Irregularly notarized documents affecting land or large sums: talk to a lawyer before relying on them.

Common questions