A bank form, an application to an authority, a private agreement, a document a foreign institution wants signed in front of a notary. Certifying a signature answers one question: who signed this. Knowing whether that is what you actually need is the part worth getting right.
Short answer: notarial certification of a signature confirms that the signature on a document belongs to the identified person, who signed before the notary or confirmed the signature in a manner permitted by law. It is not the same as certifying a transaction, and it does not mean the notary takes the same responsibility for the legal effect of the content. Bring the final text unsigned, a valid identity document, and the requirement of the institution that will receive the document. If you do not have command of the language of the act, an interpreter takes part. Our office is at 118 David Aghmashenebeli Avenue, Tbilisi.
When a notary certifies a signature, the point being established is identity. The person who signed is the person the identity document says they are, and the signing happened before the notary or the signature was confirmed in the manner law permits. That is what the certification entry records.
What follows from this is the part people miss. Certifying a signature does not mean that in every case the notary assumes the same responsibility for the legal effect of the document's content as when a notarial transaction is certified. The notary is not endorsing your agreement, confirming that its terms are enforceable, or checking that you understood what you were agreeing to in commercial terms.
That is usually fine, because in most cases the receiving institution only wants to know that the signature is genuine. But where the underlying agreement carries real consequences, the question of whether a certified signature is enough has to be answered before signing rather than afterwards.
Three different notarial acts get confused with each other constantly. The distinction is worth thirty seconds of your time.
Answers who signed. Used for applications, forms, private agreements and documents where the receiving party needs assurance the signature is genuine.
Answers is this transaction validly concluded in notarial form. A broader act in which the notary verifies identity, authority and the preconditions set by law. Required for certain agreements.
Contract notarizationAnswers does this copy match the original. Nothing to do with signatures; used when you must submit a document but keep the original.
Certified copiesThe practical test: ask the receiving party, in writing, whether they require the authenticity of the signature or the notarial form of the transaction. Those are different products with different prices, and a certified signature will not be accepted where the law or the counterparty requires the full notarial form. If you are not sure how to ask, forward us their message and we will identify which act satisfies it.
A word on blanks. A document with empty fields to be completed later is a document whose content can change after your signature was certified. Finalise it first. If something genuinely cannot be known yet, that is usually a sign the document is not ready to sign.
A foreign citizen can normally have a signature certified in Georgia with a valid passport. The language question is what needs planning.
Under the applicable instruction, where the signatory does not have command of the language of the act and the notary cannot establish their will without assistance, the act is performed with the participation of an interpreter. The interpreter's participation is reflected in the certification entry and the interpreter also signs the relevant document. This is not a formality that can be waived because you "understand enough" - the notary makes that assessment.
Two practical consequences. First, arrange the interpreter before the appointment, not on the day; availability for less common languages is the usual bottleneck. Second, send us your passport details in advance so the spelling of your name in the document matches your travel document exactly. Transliteration mismatches are the single most common reason a certified document is later questioned abroad. We work in English, Russian and other languages - see also legal translation service.
Where the signature is made on behalf of a legal entity, an extra question enters: in what capacity is this person signing, and are they entitled to do so? The notary must be able to establish who is signing and in what role, which means bringing the corporate documentation that evidences the position and powers of the signatory.
Typically that means the registry extract showing the current director or authorised representative, the charter where relevant, and any internal decision or power of attorney relied on. If the person signing is not the director, the authority under which they act should be documented before the appointment rather than discussed at the counter. Where an employee or an external representative will sign regularly, a properly drafted power of attorney is usually the cleaner solution.
Where more than one person signs, everyone whose signature is to be certified needs to be identified, which in practice means each of them attending with a valid document. Coordinating this is the part that most often slips.
Plan for it: confirm that all signatories are in the country and available on the same day, that each has an unexpired identity document, and that anyone who needs an interpreter is accounted for. If one signatory is abroad, raise it at the start, because the workable alternatives - a separate act, a power of attorney, or a document signed and apostilled where that person is - take different amounts of time and should be chosen deliberately.
A document certified in Georgia and submitted to a foreign authority normally needs an apostille and a translation into the language that authority accepts. Georgia is party to the Hague Convention, so the apostille is the relevant route for most destinations rather than full consular legalisation.
The order matters: in the general pattern the document is certified, then apostilled, then translated, so that the apostille is captured in the translation. Some authorities specify a different arrangement. Send us their written requirement before anything is signed and the chain is set correctly the first time. See apostille and legalisation and notarized translation and document certification.
There is a second question specific to this act. Some foreign institutions, when they say a document must be "notarized", expect something closer to the full notarial form of the transaction rather than a certified signature, because that is how it works in their own system. Terminology does not translate cleanly between jurisdictions. Get their requirement in writing and let us match it to the Georgian procedure that actually satisfies it.
Share the text and the receiving institution's requirement so the correct act can be identified before anyone travels.
We establish whether a certified signature is sufficient or the notarial form of the transaction is needed, and in which language.
The document is completed or translated, names and numbers are checked against your identity documents, and an interpreter is arranged if required.
You sign before the notary, and translation or an apostille is arranged afterwards in the order the destination requires.
Send the document and the requirement you received. You will get confirmation of which notarial act applies, what to bring and the cost in one reply.
Send the document on WhatsAppThe total is the regulated notary fee plus, where applicable, drafting or translation of the text, interpreter attendance, the number of signatories and copies, and an apostille if the document goes abroad. With the text ready and in Georgian, this is one of the less expensive acts. Several signatories, a bilingual text and an interpreter move it up.
Timing is usually short for the act itself. What takes time is everything around it: translation, interpreter availability for less common languages, assembling multiple signatories, and the apostille, which has its own processing step. If you have a deadline, give it in your first message. For general orientation see translation and document service prices; the exact figure is confirmed once we see the document.
The Notary Chamber of Georgia states that on the citizen's request the notary must provide an account setting out the cost of the service and the amount paid.
On this act the money is saved before the appointment. The two questions that decide everything are whether a certified signature is what the receiving party actually requires, and whether the text and the names in it are correct. Both are answered by reading the institution's own words and checking the passports, which is what we do before anyone books a notary.
We read the receiving institution's requirement and confirm whether a signature or the full notarial form is needed.
The document is finalised and transliteration verified against passports before anything is signed.
Where the language of the act requires one, attendance is organised in advance rather than discovered at the counter.
Our office is at 118 David Aghmashenebeli Avenue, Tbilisi. Contact us on +995 501 11 32 00 or send the document on WhatsApp before coming in person. Tell us how many people are signing, which languages are involved and when you need the document, so the notary's and the interpreter's availability can be confirmed together.
That the signature belongs to the identified person, who signed before the notary or confirmed the signature in a manner permitted by law. It does not mean the notary takes the same responsibility for the legal effect of the content as with a certified transaction.
Certifying a signature addresses who signed. Certifying a transaction is broader: the notary verifies identity, authority and the preconditions set by law. Some agreements require the full notarial form, and a certified signature will not substitute.
Usually yes, with a valid identity document. Law also permits confirmation of an already made signature in defined circumstances. Bring the document unsigned unless told otherwise.
Yes, normally with a valid passport. If you do not have command of the language of the act, an interpreter takes part and also signs.
Signature certification is not a legal review of your text. If the agreement has real consequences, have the content prepared or reviewed before signing.
Yes, and your authority matters. Bring the corporate documents evidencing your position and powers, since the notary must establish who is signing and in what capacity.
Yes, but each signatory whose signature is certified must be identified, so all of them need to attend with valid documents. Coordinate availability in advance.
The remote format covers a defined set of acts, and availability for a specific case is assessed by the notary in advance. Tell us your situation and it can be checked before scheduling. See the online notary page.
It depends on the receiving authority. Usually an apostille and a translation are needed, and some institutions expect the full notarial form of the transaction instead. Get their requirement in writing first.
The regulated notary fee plus any drafting, translation, interpreter attendance, additional signatories, copies and apostille. With a ready Georgian text it is one of the less expensive acts.
This page was updated on 13 September 2026 and prepared with reference to the rules in force in Georgia and official explanations. The main sources are the instruction on the procedure for performing notarial acts, the Law of Georgia on Notary and the answers of the Notary Chamber of Georgia on current topics.
Notarial rules, fees and the documents required in a particular case may change or depend on individual circumstances. This page is a general informational and organisational guide and does not constitute individual legal advice. The final decision on whether a notarial act can be performed, and on its form and requirements, is taken by the authorised notary.
Need a signature certified? Send the document and the requirement, and find out which act applies before you book anything.
Call: +995 501 11 32 00