The Assembly of the International Union of Notaries (UINL) in Berlin: the new President elected and the new member countries admitted

On September 30 – October 1, 2025, the International Union of Notaries (UINL) held its meeting in Berlin, Germany, during which it approved the admission of new member countries to the Union, elected a new president for a three-year term, and presented awards to notaries. During the Congress that took place over the following three days, from October 2 to 4, discussions focused on the role of the notaries in the context of technological developments and on the latest global trends in the notarial profession.

On the first day of the meeting, September 30, the members of the UINL approved the admission of Kyrgyzstan to the International Union of Notaries.

Before the final decision on Kyrgyzstan’s membership in the UINL was made, the Chairman of the International Commission for Notarial Cooperation (C.C.N.I.), Richard Bock, expressed special gratitude to the President of the Lithuanian Chamber of Notaries, Marius Stračkaitis. He was thanked for his contribution to promoting the idea of the Latin-type notariat in Eastern European countries and for his support to new candidate states seeking to establish notarial systems based on Western notarial traditions.

The official ceremony for the admission of two new members – the notariats of Burundi and Kyrgyzstan – to the International Union of Notaries took place on October 2, during the opening of the UINL Congress in Berlin.

The UINL currently has 93 member countries.

Notarial order awards for two notaries

On September 30, the award ceremony of the Notarial Orders established by the International Union of Notaries (UINL) took place. This year, the prestigious awards were presented to Abdoulaye Harissou, a notary from Cameroon, and Pedro Carrión García de Parada, a notary from Madrid.

The International Union of Notaries elected a new president

Another important event took place on October 1, 2025, when the Assembly of Notariats, meeting in Berlin, Germany, elected a new President of the International Union of Notaries (UINL). With a significant majority of votes, Mexican notary David Figueroa Márquez was elected as the new UINL President for the 2026–2028 term.

He has previously served as President of the Mexican Notaries Association, Chairman of the UINL Commission for American Affairs (CAAm), and was also a member of the UINL Board.

The newly elected President will assume his duties next year, on January 1, 2026.

The name of Lithuania was also heard at the UINL congress

Meanwhile, during the three-day Congress of the International Union of Notaries held on October 2–4, the focus was placed on the role of the notaries and its adaptation to new technologies and the evolving needs of society.

The conference discussed the role of notary in the context of technological advancement and the application of new technologies in notarial practice. Experts from various countries shared their insights on the digital transformation of preventive justice, automation, artificial intelligence, remote identity verification, and the protection of electronic documents, as well as the emerging challenges of cybersecurity.

Considerable attention was also given to the expansion of the notary’s role in non-contentious proceedings, such as the protection of vulnerable individuals and divorce by mutual consent. New tools were presented that enable persons with disabilities to safely express their will in the presence of a notary.

The discussions also covered the legal and regulatory environment, including anti–money laundering efforts, apostille procedures, and the judiciary’s approach to the sharing of competences with the notaries.

The aim of the conference was to present the latest notarial practices and emerging trends, with a view to strengthening the role of the notaries in society, protecting vulnerable individuals, and promoting innovative solutions in legal practice.

During this conference, a separate discussion session was also dedicated to future notaries – assessors who were undergoing training at the World Notariat University (WNU).

Lithuanian assessor Marija Jankauskienė was selected for this session and delivered a presentation titled “Donation Contracts in Lithuania: Legal Framework and the Notary’s Role.”