Notary Public Act, 2063

What does it do?

• The Act creates a system of notaries public to confirm the identity of people signing documents, curb forgery and fraud, and make certified translation easier. A Notary Public Council, chaired by the Attorney General and including the President of the Nepal Bar Association, the Registrar of the Supreme Court and secretaries of several ministries and the Law Commission, sets policy, issues certificates and monitors notaries' conduct.लिखतमा सही गर्ने वास्तविक व्यक्ति यकिन गर्न, जालसाजी र किर्ते काम रोक्न र कागजातको अनुवाद सरल बनाउन यो ऐनले नोटरी पब्लिकको व्यवस्था गरेको छ। महान्यायाधिवक्ताको अध्यक्षतामा नेपाल बार एसोसिएसनका अध्यक्ष, सर्वोच्च अदालतका रजिस्ट्रार, केही मन्त्रालय र नेपाल कानून आयोगका सचिव रहने नोटरी पब्लिक परिषद्ले नीति बनाउँछ, प्रमाणपत्र दिन्छ र नोटरी पब्लिकको आचरणको अनुगमन गर्छ। Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal Preamble, p. 1; Sections 3, 5–6, pp. 3–5
• No one may act as a notary public without the Council's certificate. Applicants must have practised law continuously for seven years or have served at least as a gazetted second-class officer of the Nepal Judicial Service, must be Nepali citizens, and must not have been convicted of serious offences such as forgery, fraud or corruption; translators must also pass the Council's examination. Certificates are valid for five years, require a security deposit, name the place where the notary may work, and are cancelled if, for example, the holder's licence to practise law is revoked.परिषद्को प्रमाणपत्र नलिई कसैले नोटरी पब्लिकको काम गर्न पाउँदैन। निवेदक सात वर्ष निरन्तर कानून व्यवसाय गरेको वा नेपाल न्याय सेवाको कम्तीमा राजपत्राङ्कित द्वितीय श्रेणीमा काम गरी सेवाबाट अलग भएको, नेपाली नागरिक र जालसाजी, किर्ते वा भ्रष्टाचारजस्ता गम्भीर अपराधमा सजाय नपाएको हुनुपर्छ; अनुवादको काम गर्न परिषद्को परीक्षा पनि पास गर्नुपर्छ। प्रमाणपत्र पाँच वर्षका लागि मान्य हुन्छ, जमानत राख्नुपर्छ, काम गर्ने स्थान प्रमाणपत्रमै तोकिन्छ, र कानून व्यवसायको प्रमाणपत्र रद्द भएजस्ता अवस्थामा नोटरी प्रमाणपत्र पनि रद्द हुन्छ। Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal Sections 10–14, pp. 6–7; Sections 16–18, pp. 8–9
• A notary public may authenticate documents, translate documents from one language into another, and certify copies of original documents. Notaries must take an oath, keep an office, a register and files, and report to the Council; doing anything the Act forbids counts as professional misconduct. The Council can inspect their work, investigate complaints and suspend a notary for up to two months while it decides.नोटरी पब्लिकले लिखत प्रमाणीकरण गर्न, एक भाषाको कागजात अर्को भाषामा अनुवाद गर्न र सक्कल कागजातको नक्कल प्रमाणित गर्न सक्छ। नोटरी पब्लिकले शपथ लिनुपर्छ, कार्यालय, दर्ता किताब र फाइल राख्नुपर्छ र परिषद्मा प्रतिवेदन दिनुपर्छ; ऐनले निषेध गरेका काम गरेमा पेशागत दुराचरण मानिन्छ। परिषद्ले उनीहरूको कामको निरीक्षण गर्न, उजुरीको छानबिन गर्न र छानबिन चल्दा बढीमा दुई महिनासम्म निलम्बन गर्न सक्छ। Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal Sections 19–26, pp. 9–12; Sections 31–32, pp. 14–15
• Working as a notary without a certificate is punishable by up to three years' imprisonment, a fine of up to Rs 150,000, or both. A notary guilty of professional misconduct, or a person whose authenticated document turns out to be false, faces up to four years' imprisonment, a fine of up to Rs 200,000, or both; the Act also allows victims to be compensated.प्रमाणपत्र नलिई नोटरी पब्लिकको काम गरेमा तीन वर्षसम्म कैद वा डेढ लाख रुपैयाँसम्म जरिबाना वा दुवै सजाय हुन्छ। पेशागत दुराचरण गर्ने नोटरी पब्लिक, वा प्रमाणीकरण गराएको लिखतको व्यहोरा झुटो ठहरिएमा लिखत गर्ने व्यक्तिलाई चार वर्षसम्म कैद वा दुई लाख रुपैयाँसम्म जरिबाना वा दुवै सजाय हुन्छ; पीडितलाई क्षतिपूर्ति भराइदिने व्यवस्था पनि ऐनमा छ। Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal Section 33(1)–(3), p. 15; Section 34, p. 16

Gaps, loopholes and improvement ideas

None documented in the official reports we have reviewed so far.

Where does it conflict with other laws?

No conflict with another law is documented in the sources we have reviewed so far.