Establishment of s.r.o. online and QR code for verification. Notaries are successfully digitizing<

The amendment to the Notary Code introduced several significant changes regarding notary services effective September 1 last year. What do you consider to be the most important innovation?We consider the possibility of online establishment of business companies and the possibility to make changes online, to hold general meetings or to make decisions by a sole partner or shareholder of the company to be a key part of the new notary code. For this purpose, the Chamber of Notaries built its own communication channel at its own expense, which is a full-fledged part of the Czech digital transformation.

Transferring services to an online environment will not only save people time and money, but for example now due to covid this may be their only way of communicating with the office. And last but not least, it will certainly help fellow citizens with disabilities.

How did you handle the security of such a sensitive communication as contact with a notary? The system has a very high level of security with identification based on multi-element control. During identification, the notary, among other things, has access to the basic registers where the applicant's photo is for comparison. The entire system has robust security and we monitor it to meet current requirements and trends.

Part of the communication of the notary systems takes place automatically, so if you have a prenuptial agreement entered in the List of Contracts on the Matrimonial Property Regime and your address of permanent residence changes, you do not have to go anywhere to report it - the information will change automatically.

What does the online establishment of a company or a general meeting look like in practice?The person interested in the service connects with the notary via a video conference application. To access it, they will receive a hyperlink from the notary. There is no need to install any special software, just an extension for signing electronic documents. At the moment, the applicant must already have his qualified electronic signature when entering the application, but the Chamber of Notaries plans to issue it directly within the video conference in the near future. People could then use such a signature for other purposes.

After connecting to the video conference, the notary will verify the identity by means of an electronic identity card or bank identity, in connection with the data in the basic registers, including a photo, and, for example, when establishing an "eseróčka", he will explain everything to the applicant, ask him about his preferences and, according to them, the founding document of the s.r.o. will write The whole thing takes about half an hour.

Do all notaries provide services online?Yes, it is possible to perform these services with a notary via computer or mobile phone, i.e. online, all over the Czech Republic. Citizens have 439 notaries available in all regions and can choose from those currently online.

But these are not the only news, there are also changes in the verification of signatures.Newly, the notary code gives the possibility to check in the database whether the verification of a signature, whether on a contract or a power of attorney, is not forged. Either by manually entering data on the website of the Notary Chamber of the Czech Republic or by scanning a QR code with which the notary provides the verification clause. Copies of the notary's registration are also newly provided with this code, and their authenticity can thus be easily verified remotely.

Is an ordinary QR code reader that I have on my mobile phone enough for this?Yes, it is. And no special software or equipment is needed for other online notary services either. Only for establishing a limited liability company and the general meeting, a common browser extension enabling electronic signature is needed.

Will I pay more for signature verification with a QR code?The price for signature verification has not changed in connection with the introduction of the QR code.

Most people have the services of a notary associated mainly with inheritance proceedings. But is it necessary to appear there in person? We prefer to discuss probate proceedings in person, as it is often a very sensitive matter. In addition, some people feel that their own relatives are depriving them of property to which they are entitled, in a situation where a close person has left them. The notary often also acts as a family mediator during such proceedings. Some notaries can also perform part of the operations, e.g. finding out partial information, using technical means.

What was the interest in the services of notaries last year? In connection with the pandemic, are we thinking more about dealing with our property, so is there an increased interest in writing a will?During the past year, the number of last wills has really increased, which is very likely related to the entry of the covid-19 disease into our lives. In total, people wrote almost 27,000 wills at the notary last year, we did not go online with the last will agenda.

How many marriage contracts were concluded last year? For marriage contracts, we are still preparing the total numbers, but we already know that the rising trend of interest from the period before the pandemic has returned. People are planning weddings again, and so the number of couples who purchased a contract from a notary exceeded 10,000.

As for the digitally realized requests for the notary service, since last September, when the amendment entered into force, there have been almost five thousand of them from citizens or institutions.