How does a notarial office in the Netherlands work?

A notarial office is also known as a notary practice or notaryship. A notarial office is at the heart of society. You engage a notarial office for, among other things, drawing up deeds for concluding a mortgage, cohabitation contract or will. You also need a notary to set up a Dutch foundation ( stichting ) or limited liability company ( BV ).

Who work at a Dutch notarial office?

A notarial office is also called ' notariskantoor ' or ' notariaat ' in the Netherlands. It employs candidate civil-law notaries who have university degrees and have followed an advanced program. In addition, there are usually several notary clerks with a higher vocational education degree in law and notarial employees with a legal or administrative MBO training. A candidate civil-law notary and civil-law notary are both a lawyer and a public official appointed by the government. Often a notary, in the form of a partner of a notary office, is an entrepreneur. However, it is also possible to work as an employee of another notary.

What role does a Dutch notary have?

Starting your own business in the Netherlands, or buying a house, entering into a partner registration, drawing up your will. At a Dutch notarial office, the employees, and in particular the candidate civil-law notary and civil-law notary, help to make the right choices during these important events. By listening and contributing ideas from a personal perspective. And by providing information about the financial and fiscal advantages and disadvantages of certain choices. In this advisory role, the civil-law notary is assisted by tax specialists and financial specialists.

In which areas of law does a Dutch notary provide support?

Dutch law has empowered the civil-law notary to draw up authentic deeds. The notary is also often used for certification and legalization of documents and for the application of apostilles at the court.

Most notary offices in the Netherlands are active in the following fields:

• family law ( familierecht ), including thinking about and drawing up prenuptial agreements and divorce certificates.
• inheritance law ( erfrecht ), such as drawing up wills, certificates of inheritance, agreements, but also practical matters such as vacating an apartment, the inheritance tax return and final personal income tax return.
• real estate law ( vastgoedrecht ), this includes the drawing up of deeds of transfer, mortgage deeds, deeds in the context of a public auction. When buying a house, one of the most important decisions in your life, you like to be assisted by a specialist.
• corporate law ( ondernemingsrecht ), consisting of the incorporation and registration of a BV from merger to business transfer. Amendments to the articles of association, share issues, shareholder agreements and demergers are other matters in which the civil-law notary advises and draws up deeds. It starts with advice when choosing the legal form of your company.

Are you living or planning to live in the Netherlands or have a Dutch business? Would you like to know more about notarial offices and their services? Then contact one and make sure that the important matters in your life shall be properly arranged.