The Supreme Court has opened applications for the commissioning of Electronic Notary Public (ENP), a designation created under the 2025 Rules on Electronic Notarization that allows lawyers to notarize documents digitally. Applications and the accompanying eNotarization Portal became available on August 10, 2026, through the Philippine Judiciary Platform (PJP).
For Filipino applicants, the ENP commission opens a practice route that traditional notarial commissions do not offer. Under the 2004 Notarial Rules, a notary public may only notarize documents within the territorial jurisdiction of their commission. An ENP, by contrast, is authorized to perform electronic notarial acts for principals located anywhere in the Philippines, and in limited cases for Filipinos abroad who are physically present at a Philippine embassy, consulate, or honorary consular office.
The Rules on Electronic Notarization, issued by the Supreme Court under A.M. No. 24-10-14-SC on February 4, 2025, took effect on March 24, 2025, fifteen days after publication. They apply only to electronic documents in Portable Document Format (PDF) or PDF/A, while paper documents with handwritten signatures, notarial wills, and depositions remain covered by the 2004 Notarial Rules.
The Rules provide for two modes of electronic notarization. In-Person Electronic Notarization requires the signatory and any witnesses to appear physically before the ENP using an accredited Electronic Notarization Facility (ENF). Remote Electronic Notarization allows them to appear through videoconferencing instead.
To qualify for commissioning, an applicant must be a member of the Philippine Bar in good standing, compliant with Mandatory Continuing Legal Education requirements, a Philippine resident for at least one year, and free of any final conviction involving moral turpitude. Applicants also undergo a summary hearing conducted through videoconferencing before a commission is granted.
The system incorporates multi-factor authentication, including facial recognition, biometrics, and one-time passwords, in line with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas security standards. Every electronically notarized document is transmitted to the Supreme Court’s Central Notarial Database, which the judiciary describes as a safeguard against tampering and a permanent nationwide repository for notarized electronic records.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said it is coordinating with the Supreme Court on the rollout, describing eNotarization as part of a broader effort to make government-linked services more accessible and citizen-centered through technology.
The Supreme Court first introduced remote notarization in 2020 through the Interim Rules on Remote Notarization of Paper Documents, a temporary measure adopted during the pandemic. The 2025 Rules on Electronic Notarization establish a permanent framework in its place.
The Office of the Electronic Notary Administrator, tasked with commissioning and supervising ENPs and accrediting ENFs, is expected to be established as part of the rules’ continued implementation.
