Guidelines for the Use of Temporary Notarial Register Forms
OCA Circular No. 09-2019 provides guidelines for notaries public in the Philippines due to a shortage of official notarial registers. Notaries are permitted to use a temporary notarial register form upon submitting a written request to the executive judge who issued their commission, along with a certification of non-availability from the appropriate court division. Each temporary register must be book-bound and initialed by the executive judge, with a limit of one bound copy per request. The use of these temporary forms will cease once new official notarial books are available, although extensions may be granted upon request. This circular also revokes an earlier directive mandating the exclusive use of official notarial registers.
January 24, 2019
OCA CIRCULAR NO. 09-2019
| TO | : | All Executive Judges and All Clerks of Court/Officers-In-Charge of the Office of the Clerk of Court, Regional Trial Court |
| SUBJECT | : | Guidelines for the Use of Temporary Notarial Register Forms |
In view of the insufficient number of the notarial registers printed in the previous years, All Judges and Clerks of Court/Officers-in-Charge of Office of the Clerk of Court, Regional Trial Courts are enjoined to observe No. 4, of the Proposed Guidelines in the Implementation of the Provisions of the Memorandum of Agreement Between the Office of the Court Administrator and the Office of the Solicitor General approved by the Court En Banc in a Resolution dated August 15, 2006 and reiterated in OCA Circular No. 157-2006, to wit:
4. In view of the current unavailability of notarial registers, notaries public shall be allowed to use the temporary form attached hereto. The notary public concerned shall file a written request to use the improvised form with the executive judge that issued the commission. A copy of his current commission shall be attached to his request.
The notaries public who have been authorized to use such forms shall have them book-bound and initialed on each and every page by the Executive Judge before whom the request was filed. Each bound copy shall have a maximum of 106 pages and shall be treated and used in the same manner as the new notarial book; and
Each request shall be limited to one bound copy. Should the bound copy be used up before the new notarial books are available, the notary public concerned may request anew for the use of bound temporary forms. The use of bound temporary forms shall end when the new notarial books are available but, upon written request, the executive judge may allow the notary public to use up the bound temporary forms.
As additional requirement, a written certification must be procured by the notary public from the Property Division, OCA, Supreme Court or the Clerk of Court/Officer-in-Charge, Office of the Clerk of Court, and attested to by the Executive Judge, certifying to non-availability of the notarial register, at the time when he wanted to purchase. The same shall be attached to the request to use the improvised form.
This circular revokes OCA Circular No. 191-2017 dated 7 September 2017 directing all Clerks of Court and Officers-in-Charge of the Office of the Clerk of Court, Regional Trial Court, to ensure that only the official notarial register, designated as Judicial Form No. 143, as amended, is used by the notary public. CAIHTE
For immediate compliance.
(SGD.) JOSE MIDAS P. MARQUEZCourt Administrator