New notary public service charges set for February

Service charges for 23 notary public applications in Beijing will be adjusted starting on Feb 25, according to a statement by the municipal government's Justice Bureau on Tuesday.

The change is expected to save about 131 million yuan ($19.3 million) for the public.

Among the 23 services, four items related to the notarization of property inheritance, business contracts, and security deposit will see a reduction in charges. Another 18 items, including evidence preservation and notarization supervision, will be open for related institutes to set their own price, instead of one uniformly decided by the government. The fee for document translation will be canceled.

Given the considerable gains seen by the notarization industry, resulting from surging demand in recent years, the decision aims to create a better business environment in Beijing and effectively ease financial burdens on enterprises and individuals.

Huang Chen contributed to this story.