China Adopts New Measures for Notarial Reform

Sources from the Ministry of Justice say that it will soon carry out relevant reform measures nationwide in order to further meet the needs of the development of China's market economy and the new situation appearing with China's imminent entry into the WTO, to provide better notarial and legal services for the litigants, to improve the quality of China's notarial contingent as soon as possible and to gradually bring the operation of China's notarial and legal system in line with international practice.

First is to trial implement the chief notary responsibility system. In the past, under the notary office director examination and approval system, the notary certification went into effect upon the approval given by the notary office director, now this system has been changed into one whereby the notary in charge, authorized by the director of the notary office, has clearly defined power and duty to handle notarial affairs, exempting the links of examination and approval.

Second is to raise the examination "threshold" for the notary. In order to build a contingent of high-quality notaries, the Ministry of Justice has decided to reform the previous method of testing notary qualifications conducted within the judicial administrative departments, setting higher demands and conditions on the formal schooling record of the notary taking the exam.



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