Shanghai introduced a new notarization service guide for the shipping sector during an industry event on the North Bund on Nov 26.

The guide provides full-chain notarization support for maritime enterprises, integrating notarization, legal advisory, translation, and authentication services into a single streamlined workflow.

At the same event, the notarization service platform at the North Bund International Legal Service Harbour was launched.

The ceremony also unveiled the first group of maritime notary public offices, covering Dongfang, Pudong, Xuhui, Jing'an, Putuo, Hongkou, Changning, New Hongqiao, Zhangjiang, and Lin-gang.

Highlights of the guide:

Addressing the core needs of maritime employees

• Comprehensive notarization services: Notary offices assist seafarers and their families by notarizing identity, academic degrees, professional qualifications, family relationships, and certificates of no criminal record for overseas training, assignments, business travel, and family visits.
• Convenient options: Services include online applications, expedited processing, mail delivery, and assisted authentication.
• Emergency assistance: In urgent cases, notary institutions can provide full-process, on-site services, enabling families to handle matters promptly.

Full-chain legal support

The guide moves beyond traditional single-purpose notarization, offering an integrated model of notarization, advisory, translation, and authentication.

A mechanism for researching overseas laws helps investors understand local policies and regulations. Evidence-preservation notarization and dispute-resolution support help resolve maritime disputes quickly through non-litigation means, forming a closed-loop service covering prevention, support during the process, and post-event protection.

Optimized services for maritime enterprises

• Flexible service options: Integrated online and offline services support on-site, online, and holiday processing.
• Green channel for urgent cases: Streamlined procedures enable same-day notarization when time is critical.
• Simplified authorization for large enterprises: A single authorization from the legal representative can handle all notarization matters.

Sources: Shanghai Observer, difang.gmw.cn