Summary

Traditionally, the execution of notary’s professional activities and notarisation of transactions have been strictly regulated in the European judicial area and have involved significant restrictions, while also related to the prohibition to perform other offices or be professionally related to any other fields. The relevant Estonian regulations have been the same, starting from the establishment of notaries’ offices in public law on 1 November 1993 up to the present; a notary could only engage in research or teaching besides notarisation of transactions and authentication of acts.

Over the past years, Estonian law has become considerably more liberal about the ancillary activities and expansion of competences of notaries. In addition to research and teaching, which were allowed already earlier, it is now permitted in addition to professional activities to engage in other ancillary activities referred to as ‘notarial services’. The provisions on notarial services were added to the Notaries Act by amendments that entered into force on 8 June 2009.

The article gives an overview of the similarities between professional activities and notarial services as well as of the individual types of services.