Notarial certifications (legitimaciones) are acts by which a notary certifies specific aspects of private documents, such as the authenticity of a signature, the accuracy of a copy or the existence of a documentary fact. They do not imply approval of the content of the document, but they do give it public attestation (fe pública) as to its formal validity.
Types of Notarial Certification
1. Signature Authentication
The notary certifies that a signature belongs to a specific person who has appeared before them and signed in their presence.
- Guarantees that the signature is genuine.
- Prevents identity theft and fraud.
- Widely used for contracts, authorisations, powers of attorney, etc.
Note: the notary does not validate the content of the document, only the signature.
2. Certified Copies (Compulsas Notariales)
The notary certifies that a copy matches its original document exactly.
- Makes copies given to third parties more reliable.
- Required for many administrative procedures, public-sector competitive exams (oposiciones) and registries.
- Has evidential value as a public document.
3. Certification of Electronic Documents
The notary can certify emails, PDFs, digital contracts, etc., giving them legal force.
- Ideal for submitting digital evidence that is legally valid.
- Certifies the existence, content and date of the electronic document.
- Useful in disputes, audits or regulatory compliance.
Purposes and Legal Usefulness
- Provides legal certainty for private documents.
- Prevents fraud, forgery and identity theft.
- Has the value of a public document and full evidential force.
- Meets legal requirements in administrative and court proceedings.
Common Uses
- Travel authorisation for minors.
- Notarial powers of attorney for banking matters.
- Certified copies of academic qualifications for public-sector exams.
- Electronic evidence for court cases or claims.
- International documents with an apostille.
Legal Value
Notarial certifications have the value of a public document, with a presumption of accuracy and authenticity. This means they are accepted as full proof before any public authority or court, unless proven otherwise.
In Summary
Notarial certifications make it possible to formally certify key aspects of a private document without examining its content. They are an essential tool for strengthening legal certainty, avoiding disputes and proving facts with full legal validity.