Just One Tap on the App Abroad... Remote Notarization Approaches 3,000 Cases Annually

Image to aid understanding of the article. Pixabay

#1 A, who resides in the United States, wanted to entrust his father in Korea with handling the extension of his jeonse deposit loan, but a notarized power of attorney was required.

After learning about remote notarization, A scanned the power of attorney and submitted it as a PDF to the Ministry of Justice’s electronic notarization system, verifying his identity with a joint authentication certificate. He then scheduled an appointment with an assigned notary public and accessed a mobile app, uploading his driver’s license as part of additional identity verification procedures.

During the remote notarization process, the assigned notary public re-verified A’s identity via video and reviewed the contents of the power of attorney. After confirming both A’s intent and the document’s contents, the notarization was completed, allowing A to finish the necessary procedures for the loan extension without traveling to Korea.

#2 Corporation B, headquartered in Daegu, needed notarization of its board meeting minutes to make a registration change. However, the executives responsible for the work were actually based in Seoul. Given the burden of traveling to Daegu, where the relevant registry office is located, a representative of Corporation B conducted the notarization of the minutes through a remote process. After completing notarization, they attached the electronic document and applied for electronic registration, finishing the registration procedure without any additional travel.

Since its introduction in 2018, the number of remote notarizations has increased more than tenfold, with annual cases hovering around 3,000, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote notarization is a system in which an assigned notary public certifies electronic documents using an internet video device that simultaneously transmits and receives video and audio.

By using remote notarization, Korean nationals living overseas can process notarized documents such as powers of attorney without having to enter Korea. Companies can also handle corporate matters, such as registration changes, without having to visit regional registry offices, making the system highly useful.

The total number of remote notarizations continues to rise. According to the Ministry of Justice’s Legal Affairs Division, there were 141 cases in the first year following the introduction of the system (June to December 2018), 191 cases in 2019, and a sharp increase to 1,781 cases in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual numbers were 2,605 in 2021, 2,733 in 2022, 3,101 in 2023, 2,849 in 2024, and 2,693 in 2025, consistently staying around 3,000 cases per year.

Currently, remote notarization is only possible for private documents. Private documents are those such as contracts or powers of attorney prepared directly by individuals or companies, and the notary public verifies the identity and signature/seal of the person who prepared them. Notarization of wills, which falls under authentic documents, cannot be performed remotely. Authentic documents carry the same legal effect as a final court judgment, so the introduction of remote notarization for these documents is being approached with caution due to their importance.

The main advantages of notarized documents are their strong evidentiary power and their function in preventing disputes. By notarizing a document agreed upon by the parties to a contract, future disagreements about the content or signatures can be minimized, and even if a dispute does arise, the notarized document serves as advantageous evidence.

The Supreme Court presumes that a private document certified by a notary public is authentically established unless there are special circumstances (Supreme Court Decision 2008Su119, issued January 16, 2009). Because the notarization process requires procedures such as verification of the applicant, verification of an agent, and proof of authority under the Notary Public Act, such documents are recognized as genuine and lawfully prepared, not forged.

Although authentic documents are not currently eligible for remote notarization, they have strong legal force. Under the Civil Procedure Act, authentic documents are presumed to be genuine. The Criminal Procedure Act also recognizes copies of authentic documents as admissible evidence, and the Civil Execution Act stipulates that authentic documents with a compulsory execution clause serve as legal grounds for enforcement, giving them similar effect to a final judgment.

The expertise of notaries is also a factor supporting trust in the system. Notaries consist of appointed notaries, who exclusively handle notarization work, and licensed notaries, who handle notarization alongside other work. Appointed notaries are appointed by the Minister of Justice. Eligible candidates include those with at least 10 years of legal experience as judges, prosecutors, or lawyers; those who, after obtaining a lawyer’s license, have handled legal affairs at state agencies, public institutions, or corporations; or those who have held positions as associate professors or higher in law at universities.

Legal Times Reporter Seo Hayeon

※This article is based on content supplied by Law Times.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.