Lockdown | Coronavirus: notary continue their activities

Updated on Tuesday 3 November 2020

In case of an impossible digital exchange (notarial act or procedure that cannot be carried out remotely), notaries are authorized to receive their clients, while strictly following health conditions.

October 30, 2020 onward and throughout the lockdown’s duration, notaries are authorized to continue their public service remit.

Article 4 of Title 1 order n°2020/1310 dated 29 October 2020 mandating the general measures which are required to deal with the covid-19 pandemic, within the framework of the state of health emergency , authorizes trips to respond to legal or administrative notices or to go to a public service or to a legal professional.

To get to your appointment at your notary's office:

  • Bring your official notices, issued by your notary for this appointment
  • Download the Exceptional traveling certificate
  • Tick "Trip for a judicial or administrative notice"
  • Upload your certificate

Before your appointment, the notary shall remind you of all the protective measures and the protocol implemented in its office.

On the day of the appointment, the notaries advise you to respect the following protective measures, which are made to protect your health and the one of all the employees at the office, during COVID-19:

  • Wear a mask while entering the office.
  • Be on time for the appointment, to avoid coming across people.
  • Notify your arrival to the office reception and wait outside.
  • Sanitize your hands using the gel made available to you before entering the notary offices.
  • Respect a distance of 1 meter between people.
  • Bring your own pen.

Compliance with sanitary measures in notary offices

To welcome you in the best conditions possible, French notaries are rather vigilant in terms of making all the arrangements to ensure the health security of their clients and their employees. They have set up their premises to make sure, that the required social distancing is properly respected in the waiting and signing rooms: separate entry and exit outlets (if possible), display of general hygiene rules and protocol once you enter , protective screens, and bins for sanitary waste, removal of regular magazines, and positioning of chairs beyond the distance of at least 1 meter, opening windows for 15 min between appointments and every hour, sanitizing doorknobs, surfaces between appointments, and common equipment before and after each and every use. When inside the office, the notaries provide you with sanitizing gel, masks (if need be), as well as disposable gloves for the stylus and the signature tablet (sanitized between each use).