Corporate · Legal glossary
Notary publicIn Arabic: الكاتب العدل
Definition
A notary public (كاتب العدل) is a public official, or a person licensed for the purpose, who authenticates documents and certifies signatures.
In the UAE, Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022 regulates the profession and distinguishes the public notary from the private notary. A notice and a warning are documents a notary may draw up and notarise. In Saudi Arabia the same function sits with the notary, including electronic powers of attorney on Najiz. A formal demand before a claim is an إعذار or a written إخطار. Saudi law does not call that demand an إنذار عدلي.
How it varies across the GCC
The UAE instrument is a federal decree-law on the notary profession (articles 1 and 3). Saudi Arabia organises the notary through the Ministry of Justice. This page does not restate the notary laws of Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait or Oman.
The rules that apply to a specific matter depend on the state, any free zone involved and the current text of the law, so check the official source before relying on them.
Sources
Official texts for the points on this page. General information, not legal advice. An article number is cited only where it was verified.
- UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022, art. 1, 3https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1563