
Ask HN: Why are there no online notary services in the EU? - bryanrasmussen
I&#x27;m in Denmark right now, and we need to notarize  documents, the notary public is closed for anything that is not a business (which seems pretty unfair). So I looked for online notary services and it doesn&#x27;t seem like I can find any EU ones, I suppose there must be a reason (like an EU ruling making it not worthwhile etc.)
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chewz
Because notary is Europe has different status then in US.

European notary is responsible for veryfing authenticity of all documents
provided by his clients. And he is liable in case he makes a mistake.

[http://www.notaries-of-europe.eu//index.php?pageID=191](http://www.notaries-
of-europe.eu//index.php?pageID=191)

[https://www.mdpryke-notary.com/2010/03/uk-notaries-
public-%E...](https://www.mdpryke-notary.com/2010/03/uk-notaries-
public-%E2%80%93-how-they-differ-from-us-notaries-%E2%80%93-part-1/)

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bryanrasmussen
my next idea was - build online notary service, but on the blockchain! Because
this is the one time that I thought on the blockchain might actually make
sense. Although I was more thinking about verifying the people who provide the
documents, not the documents themselves.

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Kaibeezy
In the US, individual states had to affirmatively enact law to allow it.
Virginia was the first, which I recall as they were the only place I could
find one back around 2010 for a transaction. There are still only a few,
slowly increasing.

In the UK, I believe they are only authorized within the City of London (=/=
“London”). But it looks like they can do “international” documents.

The gripping hand here is whether your receiving party will _accept_ an online
notarized doc even if you can get it done. Best to confirm that first.

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pseingatl
Notaries are not required in the United States. 28 USC 1746 provides an
alternative. Bureaucrats will, initially at least, kick and scream, but once
they (or their legal counsel) read the statute, they acquiesce.

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pagutierrezn
Very good question. Probably because an online service that lets you sign
documents electronically and keeps these documents in a public repository is
so simple these days that would make evident that many notary services are not
needed anymore

~~~
AlDante2
In Germany, notaries provide exactly that service. The repository of record is
then the Amtsgericht.

