Glossary: every e-notarization term, in plain language

Quick answer

Twenty-five terms you will meet in the Rules and on any platform, each in one line. If a word on this site is not explained where it appears, that is a bug — tell us.

The players#

ENP — Electronic Notary Public. A Philippine lawyer holding a separate commission to notarize electronic documents. Abogadong may espesyal na komisyon para sa e-notaryo.

ENF — Electronic Notarization Facility. The Supreme Court-accredited platform or app that the notarization must go through. Ang accredited na app o platform.

ENA — Electronic Notary Administrator. The office that commissions ENPs, accredits ENFs and runs the central database.

OBC-ENS. The Office of the Bar Confidant, designated by the Supreme Court as the interim Electronic Notary Services unit. Helpdesk: (02) 8526-8119.

Principal. The person whose signature or oath is being notarized. Ang taong nagpapa-notaryo.

Witness. Someone who attests to the signing. A participant like anyone else — own ID, own account.

Attorney-in-fact. The person you authorise in an SPA to act for you. Ang pinagkakatiwalaan mong kumilos para sa iyo.

The acts#

Acknowledgment. You confirm the signature is yours and that you signed freely. Can be pre-signed. "Ako po ang pumirma niyan."

Jurat. You swear the contents are true — and you must sign live in view of the e-notary. "Sumusumpa ako na totoo ang laman."

Oath / affirmation. A sworn (or solemnly affirmed) statement that something is true.

Signature witnessing. The e-notary witnesses you signing.

The modes#

IEN — In-Person Electronic Notarization. You appear physically; the document is electronic.

REN — Remote Electronic Notarization. Everyone appears by live videoconference.

Identity and security#

Competent evidence of identity. At least one valid government-issued ID with both photo and signature. Balidong ID na may litrato at pirma.

e-KYC. Electronic "know your customer" identity verification, to Bangko Sentral standards.

MFA — multi-factor authentication. Proving who you are with more than one factor: password plus a code, for example.

Liveness detection. The check that a real, live person is on camera — not a photo, a mask or a video.

Geolocation. Confirming where a participant physically is. VPNs are detected and blocked, and using one to fake location is a punishable act.

The outputs#

PDF/A. An archival PDF format built to stay readable for decades. The format the Rules use.

Electronic notarial seal. The e-notary's seal — name, roll number, "Electronic Notary Public", and a QR or bar code for verification.

Electronic notarial certificate. The certificate attached to the document, stating whether it was IEN or REN plus the e-notary's credentials.

Electronic Notarial Book. The auto-populated register of every act — parties, IDs used, fee, mode, timestamps. Ang talaan ng lahat ng ginawang notaryo.

Central Notarial Database. The Supreme Court repository every e-notarized document is uploaded to as PDF/A. Not yet confirmed operational.

Documents and cross-border#

Public document. A document that carries a presumption of regularity because it was notarized. The opposite of a private document.

SPA — Special Power of Attorney. Authority for a named person to do named things on your behalf. The OFW document.

Affidavit. A written statement sworn to be true — usually needs a jurat.

Deed. A document transferring rights over property, such as a deed of absolute sale.

Apostille. A certificate under the Apostille Convention that makes a document from one member country acceptable in another. Not needed after Philippine consular notarization.

Consularization. Notarization performed at a Philippine embassy or consulate abroad.

Where to go next#

• What is e-notarization?
• The Rules explained
• Full FAQ