eNotarization PH

For HR, admin, bank and LGU staff — and anyone handed a document

You received an e-notarized document. Is it real?

How to check a QR-sealed electronic notarial certificate, what you are entitled to inspect in the notarial book, and what to do when something looks wrong.

Last reviewed

Quick answer

A genuine e-notarized document carries an electronic notarial certificate stating the mode (IEN or REN) and an electronic seal with the e-notary's name, roll number, the words "Electronic Notary Public", and a QR or bar code. Scan the code. Any person may also inspect a specific entry in the notarial book for a lawful purpose.

What a genuine document has on it

  1. An electronic notarial certificate stating whether the act was in-person (IEN) or remote (REN), with the e-notary's full credentials.
  2. An electronic notarial seal bearing their name, their roll number, the words Electronic Notary Public, and a QR or bar code.
  3. A PDF that has not been altered since sealing. Re-saving, flattening or re-printing a sealed PDF can break the verification. Keep and forward the original file, not a photo of it.

How to check it

  1. Scan the QR or bar code on the seal. That code exists precisely so the document can be verified rather than trusted on sight.
  2. Read the certificate. Does the mode match what you were told? Do the names match the parties?
  3. Check the roll number against the lawyer's identity.
  4. Ask for the original PDF if you were sent a photo or a scan of a print-out. A picture of an electronic seal proves nothing.

What you can and cannot look up yet

Three platforms are now accredited by the Supreme Court — Twala, QLegal and NotarizeIT — so the facility a document came through can be checked. What does not exist yet is a public list of commissioned Electronic Notary Publics; that page still reads "available soon". So you cannot look the individual e-notary up in a directory. Use the QR verification, ask for the roll number, and contact OBC-ENS if something looks wrong.

Your right to inspect the notarial book

Every electronic notarial act is recorded automatically in the Electronic Notarial Book: the parties, the IDs used, the fee charged, the mode and the timestamps.

Any person may inspect a specific entry for a lawful purpose. You do not need to be a party to it. Law enforcement seeking broader access needs a court order.

That is a meaningful check. If a document claims to have been notarized on a given date by a given e-notary, there should be an entry.

If something looks wrong

  1. Do not act on the document yet. Hold the transaction.
  2. Keep everything — the file, the email, the sender's details, any payment records.
  3. Contact the OBC-ENS helpdesk: (02) 8526-8119, enotarizationconcerns@judiciary.gov.ph.
  4. Report suspected fraud to the NBI, and to the Integrated Bar of the Philippines if a lawyer is involved.

Notarization does not make a false document true

A perfectly valid notarization on a document containing lies is still a document containing lies. Notarization certifies the identity of the signer and the fact of signing — not that the contents are accurate.

Where to go next

Sources

We are not a provider. This is an independent educational website. We do not notarize documents, we are not an accredited Electronic Notarization Facility, and we are not affiliated with the Supreme Court or with any platform listed here. We cannot notarize, process or verify anything for you.

Not legal advice. General legal information only — not legal advice. For your specific case, consult a Philippine lawyer or notary public.