Dominican Notary

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Chris_NJ

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Dec 17, 2003
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I would like to clarify the process/costs of notarization in DR. Here (US) you sign in front of a notary to swear that that you believe the facts in the document are true. The notary then signs his name and put on the stamp and charges you $2/3. It takes like 30 seconds.

What is the average process/cost to get something notarized in DR by a Dominican lawyer/notary? My girlfriend got some of her documents notarized and the lawyer always keeps the pages several hours and types in a longwinded statement giving her address, cedula #, marital status, etc and then signs and puts several stamps. The lawyer charged her 800 pesos for this - can this be right? There is no way for a notary to just sign and stamp for 100 pesos or so like in US?
 
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Lissa

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Aug 7, 2003
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I think it's very overpriced, but here to notarized is more expensive than in US I think is for the fact that here to be a legal notary you must be a lawyer and fill some profesional requeriments, but in the US anybody can be a notary doesn't have to be a lawyer just have to take some classes and get a test for the license and that's it..
 
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Escott

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Jan 14, 2002
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I needed something notorized and my attorney did it for me including typing a letter and didnt charge me. Sounds like a lot of money especially for a local.

Also I didn't need any stamps. This was for my 12 year old to fly alone for the Airline. Something doesn't sound right but...

Scott
 
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hansbert

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Mar 1, 2002
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Notarized statement

To be a notary in the DR it is indispensable to be an attorney at law (abogado) and to be registered with the Procuradur?a General de la Rep?blica (Office of the Attorney General)
Any valid notarized statement must be personally signed by the notary and have stamps on it. The personal statement of the notary at the bottom of the notarized document only refers to the authenticity of the signature(s) of the person(s) signing the document and not to its contents.
To my knowledge there are also general regulations regarding the fees they may charge but they are rarely applied.
 
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Chris_NJ

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Dec 17, 2003
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I just had my girlfriend fax to me what the lawyer actually did for 800 pesos. The laywer (Rodolfo Morales Almonte in POP) typed a letter which two "declarantes" swore an estimated value of her business. The lawyer than notarized this statement with his signature and stamps made by these 2 "declarantes" (I don't know what position of authority they were).

I don't know how much weight a letter like this carries but it makes a little more sense to me now how it would cost 800 pesos as the lawyer did something more than just notarize something.

Any opinions?
 
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Oche

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Jan 6, 2004
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Standard daily practice. If a notary doesn't care about the persons who are involved in the legal act wether those may be parties or witnesses, why would you have to care? after all you are paying for legal protection and getting it so far, that should give you peace of mind. Anyhow it's the notary's *** who's on the line not yours. Don't worry about this, it has no importance whatsoever.
 
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BushBaby

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Oche said:
Standard daily practice. If a notary doesn't care about the persons who are involved in the legal act wether those may be parties or witnesses, why would you have to care? after all you are paying for legal protection and getting it so far, that should give you peace of mind. Anyhow it's the notary's *** who's on the line not yours. Don't worry about this, it has no importance whatsoever.
Click to expand...

I think Chris was more interested in the response as to whether this was a FAIR price (RD $800) for the work done, than as to whether the "Witnesses" were suitable to perform their duties!

I am a bit concerned by Scott's attorney 'notorising' something without stamps however - that seems unusual. Maybe the circumstances didn't need FULL 'Notorisation' & an attorney's letter surficed (well, I presume it surficed as Scott didn't say he had to go kick BUTT on this occassion), but it is NORMAL for letters/documentation requiring notorising to need "stamps" of some sort, just to keep things totally legal!!

Just Knit Picking!!!! - Grahame.
 
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GringoCArlos

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Jan 9, 2002
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The difference between a US Notary Public and a Dominican notario, is that in the US, the Notary Public is certifying that the signer is who they say they are. Period.

In the DR, a notario MUST be an attorney, and be registered as a notario, but more importantly, they are not only certifying that the signer is who they say they are, but ALSO that the document is a legal, proper document, and is following established legal procedures. If it doesn't, the notario goes to jail. Period. That's the explanation for the lengthy review, and the cost. $800 sounds like a fair price.
 
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Chris_NJ

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Dec 17, 2003
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So, it is a more in depth process performed by a lawyer who is technically accountable for the truthfulness of that facts - hence the higher price.

Next question - do Dominicans notarized statements carry any weight in the eyes of American institutions? (ie consulate). She first got the letter for her bank to show proof of ownership/value of her business so that they would give her a credit card.


And finally, I would think the lawyers name/reputation could contribute to the credibility of the document he notarizes - does anyone know the rep of lawyer Rodolfo Morales Almonte?
 
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MrMike

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Mar 2, 2003
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What I heard is that...

One thing keeping the price of notary service high here is the fact that no new notaries are being authorized, I don't know how long this has been in effect or wills tay in effect, but you CANNOT become a notary any more, there are no vacancies. The existing notaries are all there are.

Also 800 pesos doesn't sound out of this world expensive. I would try to talk the price down to 500 maybe if I wasn't in a hurry, but my experience is it's better to save your strength for the real gouging, and believe me, there will be plenty.
 
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Oche

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Jan 6, 2004
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That is true, introduction of notaries has been halted for some time now and the reason was the high number of notaries in the DR. I can't remember the exact number but i think the last count showed over 20,000 notaries.
 
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hansbert

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Mar 1, 2002
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Notaries, Lawers in the DR

I believe that the number of notaries and lawyers per capita of the population is one of the highest in the world. That might be one of the reasons why you hear of so many cases of clients being abused by some of these people. Dominicans as well as foreigners are their victims.
 
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Fabio J. Guzman

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Jan 1, 2002
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The Law on Notaries (Ley de Notariado #301 of 1964) states that the number of notaries may not exceed one per 1,500 inhabitants, giving us a maximum of approx. 6000 notaries in the country (8,500,000 divided by 1,500). Before 1997, the limit was not always enforced except for Santo Domingo.

Notarial acts are subject to many formalities, including the famous stamps. There is a big difference between a ?notarial act? (?acto notarial?) and a simple authentication of signatures (?legalizaci?n de firmas?). In the ?acto notarial? the notary attests to the veracity of what?s declared to him, for example, in a will, and is responsible professionally for any mistakes in the preparation of the document. In the ?authentication of signatures,? the Notary just attests to the fact that the persons signing the documents signed in his presence, without being responsible for the contents of the document.
 
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Chris_NJ

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Dec 17, 2003
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Maybe she didn't do as bad as I first thought...

Lissa said:
Hey chris I need to get notarized a simple sale contract and the public notary ask me for 1500 pesos.... ~~I think your girlfriend got a bargain~~
Click to expand...

She got a contract she produced notarized yesterday and it was 500 pesos (was 800 when lawyer wrote letter with affirmation by "testimonios).

So, give my girlfriend 1000 pesos and she will have it notarized. You will save 500 pesos, my g/f will make 500, and the lawyer will make his 500 - everybody is happy! :cheeky:

Fabio - is there supposed to be a standard price for these acts?
 
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Fabio J. Guzman

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Jan 1, 2002
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Notarial fees for authentication of signatures range widely. There is no set fee schedule, just a minimum which inflation left behind years ago. RD$500 is about average for simple authentications. If the notary has to spend some time just witnessing the closing, fees may be higher. In Santo Domingo, notaries sometimes charge higher fees based on the value of the contract.
 
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