To modernize legal processes and ensure the reliability of notarized documents, the Supreme Court (SC) has imposed stricter digital reporting requirements on notaries public under amended notarial rules.
In a resolution dated March 4, 2025, the Court en banc approved revisions to the 2004 Rules on Notarial Practice, mandating that certified monthly notarial entries and duplicate originals of acknowledged instruments be submitted electronically in Portable Document Format (PDF) to the clerk of court within the first 10 days of the succeeding month.
This applies to traditional notarization of paper-based documents and is distinct from the E-Notarization Rules promulgated under A.M. No. 24-10-14-SC on March 9, 2025, which governs fully electronic and remote notarial acts conducted through accredited platforms.
According to the SC, the amendments aim to standardize digital submissions, prohibit fees related to digitization, and ensure long-term preservation of notarized documents through secure and accessible formats.
Under the new rules, notaries public must use their professional email address to submit certified notarial reports and electronic duplicate originals as direct PDF attachments, with the use of external links, compressed formats, or files requiring extraction strictly prohibited.
“If there is no entry to certify for the month, the notary public shall forward a statement to this effect,” the resolution clarified.
To preserve document integrity, the rules prohibit charging clients for any costs related to digitizing, transmitting, or processing notarized documents.
Moreover, notaries must also email electronic copies of notarized instruments to each signatory within five days, unless waived.
Courts retaining duplicate original copies of notarized documents must review their records and submit a report to the Office of the Court Administrator—with a copy to the Management Information Systems Office—to help assess if notarial markers like signatures, thumbmarks, and seals can be digitally preserved.
“The Court resolves to direct the Office of the Court Administrator and the Management Information Systems Office to ensure that offices of the clerks of court are capacitated to host, accept, store, and archive digitized notarized documents,” the resolution stated.
Failure by notaries to comply with the updated requirements—including timely submission, accurate reproduction, and prompt rectification of errors—may result in the denial of commission renewal or permanent disqualification.
The amendments form part of the SC’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations (SPJI) 2022–2027 and will take effect on June 21, 2025, following their publication in two newspapers of general circulation on June 6.
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