Shanxi streamlines notarial services to improve business environment

In its latest effort to improve the province's business environment, the judicial department of North China's Shanxi province has further streamlined its notarial services, more than doubling the number of matters capable of being notarized during a single visit to a notary office. 

In a guideline on optimizing government services, the department announced that the single visit processing will be applied to the notarization of domestic unilateral legal documents involving a simple legal relationship and undisputed facts as well as those pertaining to certain non-typical matters from Aug 1, 2020, expanding the number of covered matters from 48 to 100.

The department also requires notary offices to shorten the notarization process in order to make sure that simple matters can be finished within one day and more complicated ones within 10 days.

Considering that it is inconvenient for most people to handle notarization matters during their work time, the department calls on notary offices to take such measures as allowing reservations, keeping businesses open on weekends and holidays, and extending their service time.

The department also specifies a list of 167 matters that require notarization while upholding the principle of no notarization for matters not on the list

Even for matters on the list, notarization can be replaced with applicants' written statements as long as they can be verified in the government's database, says the department.

It will also pilot the practice of personal credit-based commitment on four inheritance-related matters in an effort to further relieve applicants' burden of proof.

In guiding notary offices in assuming more social responsibilities, the department requires them to offer free services in seven matters regarding public interests such as small-sum inheritances in impoverished families, litigation over environmental damages as well as major emergencies and natural disasters.

The department also extends the business scope of notary offices to include nine more services including drafting legal documents on behalf of applicants in an attempt to improve customized and one-stop notarial services.

For the sake of overseas Chinese and people living in remote areas, the department encourages notary offices to deepen integration of information technologies and notarial services by use of videoconferencing technology.