Notary

Certain documents are required by law to be notarially executed, in which case a notary has to draft the document which is then signed and witnessed in the presence of the notary.

A notary is held to a higher standard of care A Notary Public is a specialist attorney who has an intimate knowledge of certain acts, and the processes prescribed therein, and who is legally empowered to officially:

witness signatures;
take statements; and
certify the validity of documents.

These documents are known as notarial deeds, and include, inter alia:

ante- and postnuptial contracts;
deeds of servitude;
deeds of cession of usufruct;
notarial leases;
trust deeds of donation; and
notarial bonds.

Such documents are kept in the notary’s safekeeping and the notary is also required to keep a protocol and register of all the documents drafted by and attested to before him or her.

Examples of documents notarised include:

Birth Certificates
Death Certificates
Divorce Certificates
Police Clearance Certificates
Powers of Attorney
Copies of Id’s or Passports
Educational Documents