Inclusion in the register of civil-law notaries
Have you been appointed as a civil-law notary? You are required to take the oath within 6 months. You do so in the district court in the area where you will be practising.
Appointment as civil-law notary
In the Netherlands civil-law notary is a protected profession. To be appointed as a civil-law notary you must meet educational requirements and have worked as a junior civil-law notary for at least 6 years.
Once your appointment decision has been signed, you have to submit a request to take the oath to the Royal Dutch Association of Civil-law Notaries (Koninklijke Notariële Beroepsorganisatie, KNB). In this application you indicate in which municipality you wish to establish yourself as a civil-law notary.
You must also submit an approved business plan (see Title II, Section 7). Your business plan demonstrates that you:
- have enough funds to start a notarial office
- are able to practise your profession in a cost-effective manner within 3 years
After taking the oath, you have to file your signature and initials. You do so with the registry (griffie) of the court in which you took your oath.
Do you have the nationality of an EEA country or Switzerland? Then you do not need to have the Dutch nationality to be appointed as civil-law notary. You must, however, speak and write the Dutch language well enough to adequately perform your duties.
Register of civil-law notaries
After taking the oath, you will be included in the register of civil-law notaries with the Royal Dutch Association of Civil-law Notaries (KNB, in Dutch). The register is public and contains information such as your business location, secondary work, and date of registration. If disciplinary action is taken against you, this will also be visible on your record in the register.
Deputising
When you are first appointed as a substitute civil-law notary, you must take the oath in the district where the substitute civil-law notary is based. When deputising in a different district, you must file your signature and initials with the registry of the court in that district.