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JEDDAH: Saudi Justice Minister Waleed Al-Samaani has launched an e-notarization system, starting a new phase in the ministry’s digitization efforts.
Starting on Nov. 18, e-notarization will provide several services that dispense with paperwork and spare clients the need to visit notarial offices for low-risk powers of attorney (PoAs).
“The Saudi Ministry of Justice is continuing its efforts to achieve the objectives of the National Transformation Program 2020 and Vision 2030, which focuses on enhancing the user-friendliness and cost-effectiveness of government services,” the minister said during the inauguration event in Riyadh, attended by several ministers and legal specialists.
“The ministry is keen to overhaul and digitize procedures in the legal, enforcement and notarization sectors, a strategic objective that the ministry has given utmost importance,” he added.
The minister shredded symbolic paper PoAs to mark the end of paperwork notarization, and the start of digital PoAs through smart devices.
The ministry revealed eight new e-services in the notarization sector, including digital PoAs, which put an end to paperwork and most of the clients’ visits to notarial offices. Digital PoAs are sent to the clients’ Absher-registered mobile numbers.
“E-notarization will save about 8 million sheets of paper annually, making notarization greener and more cost effective,” the ministry pointed out.
One of the new e-services enables clients to inquire about their PoAs and their validity, terminate unwanted ones, and find out about the agencies that have checked the validity of any of their PoAs.
Another e-service enables government agencies to verify PoAs online through the “Yesser” program, the universal access number 920025888, the ministry’s portal (), and its official app.
The new system abridges about 70 percent of procedures and directs clients straight to the assigned notary’s office without having to go through the data entry hall.
The ministry also announced a new digital mechanism for updating title deeds and obtaining a duplicate title deed, saving 90 percent of the clients’ time. Under the new procedure, clients need only to visit the notarial office once the updated or duplicate title deed is ready.