A notary's stamp carries weight because a real notary stands behind it. Before you rely on it, spend two minutes checking that the person is genuine.
Why verification matters
A document notarised by someone who was never properly registered can be rejected outright by the institution you sent it to.
By then, you may have already paid a fee and lost the time it took to arrange the notarisation. Checking first is cheaper than finding out later.
What the public register shows
The Notaries Public Act, 2023 requires the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court to keep a public electronic register of notaries.
The register exists precisely so anyone, not just other lawyers, can confirm a name before trusting a seal.
How to search it
Go to notary.gov.ng and search the notary's full name, exactly as they gave it to you.
If they showed you a registration or licence number, keep a note of it. It can help you confirm you have found the right entry if more than one similar name appears.
What to do if a notary isn't listed
Do not treat "not listed" as a small technicality. Ask the notary directly for their registration details, and check again before you proceed.
If you cannot get a clear answer, use a different notary whose registration you can confirm. The extra trip costs far less than a rejected document.
Checking before you travel or post a document
If the notary is abroad, or you are sending an original document by courier to be notarised, check the register before you send anything.
A courier trip both ways costs time and money. Confirming the notary first, even by phone, is worth the extra step.
If you are the one being asked to trust a notarised copy
Sometimes the shoe is on the other foot. A school, bank or employer may hand you a document notarised by someone else and expect you to accept it.
You can still search the register yourself. It is public, and checking a notary named on someone else's document is no different from checking one you are about to use.
Common mistakes
- Checking the register after the document is already notarised, rather than before.
- Assuming a smart office or a confident manner is proof enough on its own.
- Searching a shortened or nicknamed version of the notary's name instead of their full registered name.
- Forgetting to check again if a notary you used before has not notarised anything for you in a long time.
For which documents actually need this step, see which documents need notarising in Nigeria, and for the law behind it, see the Notaries Public Act 2023 explained. For the wider set, see our affidavit guides.