Have you been appointed as a civil-law notary? You are required to take the oath (in Dutch) in your district court region within 6 months. 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.
Appointment as civil-law notary
In the Netherlands, to be appointed as a civil-law notary you must:
- have the nationality of a EEA country or Switzerland.
- satisfy certain training requirements
- have worked as a junior civil-law notary for at least 6 years
- speak and write the Dutch language well enough to adequately perform your duties
- have an approved business plan that demonstrates that you have enough funds to start a practice and can be expected to turn a profit within 3 years
Register of civil-law notaries
After taking the oath, you will be included in the register of civil-law notaries (in Dutch) with the Royal Dutch Association of Civil-law Notaries (Koninklijke Notariële Beroepsorganisatie, KNB). 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.