Scrivener Notaries

Becoming a Scrivener Notary

Qualifying as a Notary Public

All new scrivener notaries must first be admitted as a “general” notary. (The adjective is used here solely to distinguish those notaries who are not scrivener notaries).

The applicant must have followed and attained a satisfactory standard in a course or courses of studies covering all of the following: European Union law, constitutional/public law, property law, contract, Roman law/civil law, trusts, wills & probate, business law, conflicts of law and notarial practice.

An applicant who:

holds a law degree or,
has completed the CPE or LPC or,
is admitted as a solicitor or barrister

will usually be exempt from further study of most of the above subjects except Roman/Civil Law, Conflicts of Law and Notarial Practice, on the basis that the applicant has already studied them to an acceptable standard.

Enquiries regarding eligibility and exemptions should be directed to the Faculty Office.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Notarial Practice
The Institute of Continuing Education at the University of Cambridge offers a Postgraduate Diploma in Notarial Practice that includes the study of Roman/Civil Law, Conflicts of Law and Notarial Practice. This is essentially a 2-year course of distance learning. There are some compulsory tuition days and a weekend residential course. Assessment is carried out by means of written assignments and examinations.

Please note that the Institute will only accept applications from students who already have a certificate of exemption from the Faculty Office although they are pleased to deal with enquiries from potential applicants at any time.

After the Postgraduate Diploma has been obtained, the applicant should apply to the Faculty Office for admission to the Roll of Notaries.

Qualifying as a scrivener notary

The new notary is then eligible to qualify as a scrivener notary by either passing an examination in foreign law relevant to notarial practice, or by obtaining an approved master’s degree. The candidate must also pass examinations in two other languages and an examination in advanced notarial practice.

Examinations are held in January and July each year.

The successful candidate must also complete a 2-year period of training, 6 months of which may be spent abroad working in the offices of a notary or other lawyer. A candidate who is already in practice as a general notary may elect to undergo a period of supervised practice as an alternative. This 2-year period may run concurrently with the 2-year period of supervision that all new notaries are required to complete under Post-Admission Rules.

For further details, please refer to the Scriveners (Qualifications) Rules 1998 and the Notaries Qualification Rules (1998).

Enquiries concerning qualification or entry to the Postgraduate Diploma Course should be made directly to the Faculty Office or the Cambridge University Institute of Continuing Education, as appropriate.

Enquiries regarding qualification as a scrivener notary should be made to the Clerk of the Scriveners Company.