Amendment to 2004 Rules on Notarial Practice

 

OCA CIRCULAR NO. 197-2025

TO:                  ALL EXECUTIVE JUDGES OF MULTI-SALA

REGIONAL TRIAL COURTS OR JUDGES OF SINGLESALA REGIONAL TRIAL COURTS

SUBJECT:     RESOLUTION DATED MARCH 04, 2025 OF THE COURT EN BANC IN A.M. NO. 02-8-13-SC (RE: 2004 RULES ON NOTARIAL PRACTICE)

For the information, guidance, and strict observance of all concerned, quoted below and appended hereto as Annex "A" is the Resolution dated March 04, 2025 of the Court en banc in A.M. No. 02-8-13-SC, which RESOLVED to AMEND the following provisions of the 2004 Rules on Notarial Practice, thus:

RULE 111

COMMISSIONING OF NOTARY PUBLIC

SEC. 2. Form of the Petition and Supporting Documents. — Every petition for a notarial commission shall in writing, verified, and shall include the following:

a.       a statement containing the petitioner's personal qualifications, including the petitioner's date of birth, residence, telephone and/or mobile number, valid and professional email address of record, professional tax receipt, roll of attorney's number, Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) membership number, Mandatory Continuing Legal Education compliance number, and Unified Legal Aid Service compliance number;

b.      certification of good moral character of the petitioner by at least two (2) executive officers of the local chapter of the IBP where he is applying for commission;

c.       Proof of payment for the filing of the petition as required by these Rules; and

d.      Three (3) unretouched passport-size color photographs with light background taken within thirty (30) days of the application. The petitioner shall sign his name at the bottom part of the photographs.

SEC. 15. Recordal of email address of record of notary_ public. — Each notary public with a valid commission must notify his or her executive judge of their valid and professional email address of record prior to or together with their first compliance with the requirement to submit digitized duplicate originals in Section 201), Rule VI.

An email address is deemed valid when it is in the [local-part]@[domain] syntax and is capable of receiving emails from other senders, especially those outside the address's own domain. To preserve the confidentiality, privacy, and security of communications, the use by notaries public of personal, nonprofessional email accounts as their email address of record is prohibited.

Each notary public must promptly notify his or her executive judge of any changes to his or her email address of record. The failure to promptly notify the executive judge shall be a ground for denial of the application for renewal of commission.