Digital notarization: Why are people still hesitant?

But for many people, electronic notarization is still something strange and… unreliable.

The habit of "fresh signature, real paper"

Mr. Dao Duy An, General Secretary of the Vietnam Notary Association, emphasized that with about 8 million notarized records each year being completely converted to electronic storage for a storage period of 30 years, it is possible to save society hundreds of billions of VND in costs of storing and processing documents.

People do notarization procedures at Phung Quan Notary Office, Yen Hoa Ward, Hanoi . Photo: HH

Not to mention, electronic storage is not only cost-effective but also a tool for data lookup, analysis, statistics and risk warning, responding to state management activities. However, according to the reporter of Hanoi Moi Newspaper, at many notary offices in Hanoi, the form of fresh signature and real paper is still very popular. People still do not understand and are not ready for the form of electronic notarization, especially notarization of real estate transactions.

At Phung Quan Notary Office, Yen Hoa Ward, Hanoi, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong, an accountant, said: “I have heard about digital notarization, but I still prefer to sign documents in person. Holding a notarized copy with a red seal still feels much more secure.”

With the same mentality, Mr. Le Van Binh, in Ha Dong ward, shared: “A real estate transaction is worth billions of dong. If there is a technical risk or dispute, the mechanism for determining errors and taking responsibility is still unclear with electronic notarization. I am afraid of being forged or losing data. On the internet, anything can be hacked, so doing my assets online is very risky. This is the reason I am not willing to change.”

According to statistics from the Department of Judicial Assistance ( Ministry of Justice ), the number of notarized records conducted via digital platforms accounts for less than 5% of the total number of transactions nationwide. Although the technical infrastructure system has been basically completed, most people and many notary organizations are still not really ready.

Need a mechanism to ensure legal safety and digital trust for people

According to lawyer Le Quang Vung, electronic notarization is not just a transition from paper to the online environment, but a change in the way of ensuring legal security. Trust is the foundation of every transaction. When people do not believe that digital signatures are as valuable as real signatures, they will not be interested in participating.

Mr. Le Quang Vung analyzed that digital signatures are recognized by law as having the same value as handwritten signatures. However, the dissemination and guidance for people to use them is still limited. “There needs to be a strong communication campaign so that people understand that electronic notarization is safe, protected by law and stored for a long time,” he suggested.

In addition, feedback from notary offices shows that in many countries, electronic notarization is only allowed to be implemented after a complete national electronic authentication mechanism is in place. In our country, the digital identification infrastructure is still being built, and the data sharing infrastructure between agencies is still not synchronized. The authentication of electronic identities, the integration of information between citizen identification cards, VNeID identification, and the notary system is not completely "seamless". This makes the process of confirming digital transactions still need to be interspersed with manual steps, making both customers and notaries cautious.

According to Executive Vice President of the Vietnam Notary Association Nguyen Thi Tho, to successfully implement electronic notarization, we are facing many challenges such as the legal mechanism needs to continue to be improved and synchronized with the Notary Law 2024, the Law on Electronic Transactions 2023 and related documents; the technical infrastructure must ensure information security and network security at a high level; the ability to access technology and consensus of the notary team and notary practice organizations nationwide also need to be focused on.

The above reality shows that, for electronic notarization to truly "enter life", it is necessary to do two things in parallel: Strengthening the legal infrastructure and promoting changes in social awareness. First of all, it is necessary to soon complete the legal framework on electronic transactions in notarization, especially the mechanism for storing, verifying and handling disputes. In addition, there should be policies to encourage notary offices to invest in digital platforms and support the cost of maintaining information security infrastructure. When "digital trust" is formed, traditional red stamps can be gradually replaced by digital signatures on the screen, which are faster, more transparent and still have full legal value.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/cong-chung-so-vi-sao-nguoi-dan-van-con-de-dat-720618.html