THE GOVERNMENT -------	SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM Independence- Freedom- Happiness ---------
No. 60/2009/ND-CP	Hanoi, July 23, 2009

DECREE

ON SANCTIONING OF ADMINISTRATIVE VIOLATIONS IN THE JUDICIAL DOMAIN

THE GOVERNMENT

Pursuant to the December 25, 2001 Law on Organization of the Government;
Pursuant to the June 9, 2000 Law on Marriage and Family;
Pursuant to the June 14, 2005 Civil Code;
Pursuant to the June 29, 2005 Law on Lawyers;
Pursuant to the November 29, 2006 Law on Legal Aid;
Pursuant to the November 29, 2006 Law on Notarization;
Pursuant to the November 13, 2008 Law on Vietnamese Nationality;
Pursuant to the November 14, 2008 Law on Enforcement of Civil Judgments;
Pursuant to the February 25, 2003 Ordinance on Commercial Arbitration;
Pursuant to the September 29, 2004 Ordination Judicial Expertise;
Pursuant to the July 2, 2002 Ordinance on Handling of Administrative Violations and the April 2, 2008 Ordinance on Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Ordinance on Handling of Administrative Violations;
At the proposal of the Minister of Justice,

DECREES:

Chapter I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of regulation

This Decree specifies acts of administrative violation, sanctions and levels, sanctioning competence, procedures for sanctioning administrative violations in enforcement of civil judgments; notarization; certification; civic status registration; citizenship; judicial records; judicial expertise; registration of security transactions; lawyer practice and legal consultancy; asset auction; commercial arbitration; law dissemination and education; legal aid; putting up of children for adoption, child adoption and nurturing of adopted children; and international cooperation in legal affairs (below collectively referred to as the judicial domain).

2. Other acts of administrative violation in the judicial domain which are not specified in this Decree shall be sanctioned under other government decrees on sanctioning of administrative violations in relevant state management domains.

Article 2. Subjects of application

1. Individuals and organizations that commit acts of intentionally or unintentionally violating regulations on state management in the judicial domain, which do not constitute crimes, shall be sanctioned under this Decree.

Foreign individuals and organizations that commit acts of administrative violation in the judicial domain in the territory of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam shall be sanctioned under this Decree, unless otherwise provided for by a treaty to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a contracting party. In this case, that treaty will prevail.

2. Administrative sanctions are not imposed for acts of violation specified in this Decree and committed by cadres and civil servants while performing their assigned duties. Their violations shall be handled under the law on cadres and civil servants.

Article 3. Principles for sanctioning administrative violations, extenuating circumstances and aggravating circumstances in sanctioning administrative violations

1. Principles for sanctioning administrative violations in the judicial domain comply with Article 3 of the Ordinance on Handling of Administrative Violations and Article 3 of the Government's Decree No. 12812008/ND-CP dated December 16, 2008, detailing a number of articles of the 2002 Ordinance on Handling of Administrative Violations and the 2008 Ordinance Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Ordinance on Handling of Administrative Violations (below referred to as Decree No. 128/2008/ND-CP).

2. Extenuating circumstances and aggravating circumstances in sanctioning administrative violations in the judicial domain comply with Articles 8 and 9 of the Ordinance on Handling of Administrative Violations and Article 6 of Decree No. 128/2008/ND-CP.

Article 4. Statute of limitations for sanctioning administrative violations

1. The statute of limitations for sanctioning an administrative violation in the judicial domain is one year after this violation is committed. For an administrative violation which is detected after the statute of limitations expires, no sanction shall be imposed but the violator is still subject to remedies specified in this Decree.

Persons with sanctioning competence who are at fault in letting an administrative violation be unsanctioned after the statute of limitations expires shall be handled under Article 121 of the Ordinance on Handling of Administrative Violations.

2. An individual against whom a criminal case has been instituted, who has been prosecuted or against whom there has been a decision to bring his/her case to trial according to criminal procedures but there is now a decision to suspend the investigation or his/her case shall be administratively sanctioned if his/her act shows signs of administrative violation. Within 3 days from the date of issuance of a decision to suspend investigation or a case, the person who has issued that decision shall send the decision to a person with sanctioning competence. In this case, the statute of limitations for sanctioning the administrative violation is 3 months after the person with sanctioning competence receives the suspension decision and the violation case file.

3. Within the time limit specified in Clause 1 or 2 of this Article, if a violator commits a new act of administrative violation in the judicial domain or deliberately shirks or obstructs the sanctioning, the statute of limitations for sanctioning specified in Clause 1 or 2 of this Article will not apply but shall be recounted from the time of commission of the new administrative violation or the time of termination of the act of shirking or obstructing the sanctioning.

Article 5. Sanctions and remedies

1. Principal sanctions:

Administrative violators in the judicial domain are subject to the following principal sanctions:

a/ Caution;

b/ Fine

In case a fine is imposed, the specific fine level for an administrative violation without extenuating circumstances and aggravating circumstances as specified in Articles 8 and 9 of the Ordinance on Handling of Administrative Violation is the average level of the fine bracket. For a violation with extenuating circumstance(s), the fine level may be reduced but must not be lower than the minimum level of the fine bracket. For a violation with aggravating circumstance(s), the fine level may increase but must not exceed the maximum level of the fine bracket. For an administrative violation with both extenuating circumstance(s) and aggravating circumstance(s), a competent person shall decide to impose a fine level higher or lower than the average level or the average level of the fine bracket, depending on the nature and extent of these circumstances.

2. Additional sanctions:

Depending on the nature and severity of their violations, violators may also be subject to either or both of the following additional sanctions:

a/ Confiscation of material evidence and means used for committing administrative violations;

b/ Deprivation of the right to use practice licenses or certificates for a definite or an indefinite time.

In case individuals or organizations committing administrative violations specified in Chapter II of this Decree are imposed the additional sanction of deprivation of the right to use practice licenses or certificates, operation registration certificates, participation registration certificates, establishment licenses or cards, they will not be allowed to practice their profession or operate within the duration of deprivation of the right to use these licenses, certificates or cards.

3. Remedies:

Depending on the nature and severity of their violations, administrative violators may also be subject to one or several remedies specified in articles of Chapter II of this Decree.

In case an act of administrative violation in the judicial domain is detected after the statute of limitations for sanctioning expires, no sanction shall be imposed but competent agencies or persons may apply one or more of the following remedies:

a/ Forcible restoration of the original state which has been altered due to the administrative violation;

b/ Destruction of material evidence and means used for committing the administrative violation;

c/ Revocation of papers already issued by competent authorities.

Article 6. Duration upon the expiration of which individuals and organizations are regarded as having never been administratively sanctioned

If individuals and organizations already administratively sanctioned for violations in the judicial domain do not relapse into these violations within one year after they completely execute sanctioning decisions (i.e., from the date of fulfillment of obligations and requests stated in sanctioning decisions or the date of enforcement of sanctioning decisions) or the expiration of the statute of limitations for implementing sanctioning decisions specified in Article 69 of the Ordinance on Handling of Administrative Violations, they will be regarded as having never been administratively sanctioned.

Chapter II

ACTS OF ADMINISTRATIVE VIOLATION AND SANCTIONS

Section 1. ACTS OF ADMINISTRATIVE VIOLATION IN CIVIL JUDGMENT ENFORCEMENT AND SANCTIONS

Article 7. Acts of violation of regulations on civil judgment enforcement

1. A caution or a fine of between VND 50,000 and 200,000 shall be imposed on an individual for failing to show up at a place for judgment enforcement indicated in a second-time notice or summon without any plausible reason after he/she has received that notice or summon from a competent person (enforcer or executor).

2. A fine of between VND 200,000 and 500,000 shall be imposed on a judgment debtor for any of the following acts:

a/ Deliberately failing to execute a court ruling on application of provisional urgent measures or a judgment or ruling which must be immediately executed;

b/ Failing to perform a compulsory job or to terminate the performance of a banned job indicated in a court judgment or ruling under a judgment enforcement decision;

c/ Deliberately delaying the performance of the judgment execution obligation though having conditions for judgment execution;

d/ Failing to satisfy a request of a person with judgment-enforcing competence for supply of information on or handover of papers related to handled assets for judgment enforcement without any plausible reason;

dd/ Failing to realize the commitment he/she has agreed upon under a court ruling recognizing the agreement.

3. A fine of between VND 2,000,000 and 5,000,000 shall be imposed for any of the following acts:

a/ Dispersing or damaging assets subject to distraint in order not to perform the judgment execution obligation or to shirk the asset distraint for judgment enforcement;

b/ Failing to suspend the illegal registration, use, consumption, transfer, exchange, hiding or change of the state of distrained assets;

c/ Breaking seals on or destroying distrained assets;

d/ Failing to abide by a decision of a person with judgment-enforcing competence on deduction of account or income or of valuable papers of the judgment debtor;

dd/ Failing to abide by a decision of a person with judgment-enforcing competence on collection of money from business activities of the judgment debtor, money being held by the judgment debtor, or the judgment debtor’s money being held by a third party;

e/ Failing to blockade the judgment debtor’s account under a decision of a person with judgment-enforcing competence.

4. Remedies:

a/ Forcible restoration of the original state which has been altered due to the administrative violation;

b/ Forcible observance of regulations on account blockade, forcible handover of money and valuable papers, forcible deduction of money for judgment enforcement or deduction of money from accounts, for acts specified at Point d, e and f, Clause 3 of this Article.

Section 2. ACTS OF ADMINISTRATIVE VIOLATION IN CERTIFICATION AND SANCTIONS

Article 8. Acts of violation of regulations on certification of copies of originals and signatures

1. A caution or a fine of between VND 200,000 and 500,000 shall be imposed for modifying or erasing without permission or otherwise falsifying to-be-certified copies or originals for carrying out procedures for requesting certification.

2. A fine of between VND 500,000 and 1,000,000 shall be imposed for either of the following acts:

a/ Forging papers or using forged papers or employing other deceitful tricks in carrying out procedures for requesting certification;

b/ Forging papers or using forged papers as certified copies or imitating signatures of certifiers.

3. Additional sanction:

Confiscation of papers which have been modified or erased or have their contents falsified or of forged papers, for acts specified in Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article.

Article 9. Acts of violation of regulations on certification of contracts and transactions

1. A fine of between VND 1,000,000 and 2,000,000 shall be imposed for modifying or erasing without permission or otherwise falsifying papers for certification of contracts or transactions.

2. A fine of between VND 2,000,000 and 4,000,000 shall be imposed for forging papers or using forged papers or impersonating contractual or transacting parties to obtain certification of contracts or transactions.

3. Additional sanction:

Confiscation of modified, erased, falsified or forged papers, for acts specified in Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article.

Section 3. ACTS OF ADMINISTRATIVE VIOLATION IN MANAGEMENT OF CIVIC STATUS REGISTRATION, CITIZENSHIP AND JUDICIAL RECORDS, AND SANCTIONS

Article 10. Acts of violation of regulations on birth registration

1. A caution or a fine of between VND 50,000 and 100,000 shall be imposed on a person responsible for making birth registration for a child who fails to do so within a law-prescribed time limit.

2. A fine of between VND 100,000 and 300,000 shall be imposed for either of the following acts:

a/ Intentionally providing an untruthful testimony in birth registration; the birth registration maker's guarantee is untrue to the birth;

b/ Modifying or erasing without permission or otherwise falsifying papers for carrying out procedures for birth registration.

3. A fine of between VND 200,000 and 500,000 shall be imposed for any of the following acts:

a/ Forging papers or using forged papers for carrying out procedures for birth registration;

b/ Committing another deceitful act to obtain birth registration for self-seeking purpose;

c/ Forging one's birth certificate or borrowing another person's birth certificate to commit an illegal act.

4. Additional sanction:

Confiscation of modified, erased, falsified or forged papers, for acts specified at Point b, Clause 2, and Clause 3, of this Article.

5. Remedies:

Competent agencies shall revoke, upon request, issued birth certificates and compel lawful birth registration, for acts specified at Point a, Clause 2, and Points a and b, Clause 3, of this Article.

Article 11. Acts of violation of regulations on marriage registration

1. A fine of between VND 100,000 and 300,000 shall be imposed for modifying or erasing or otherwise falsifying papers for carrying out procedures for marriage registration.

2. A fine of between VND 200,000 and 500,000 shall be imposed for any of the following acts:

a/ Using another person's papers for carrying out procedures for marriage registration;

b/ Forging papers or using forged papers for carrying out procedures for marriage registration;

c/ Committing another deceitful act in marriage registration.

3. A fine of between VND 5,000,000 and 10,000,000 shall be imposed for making a guarantee untrue to one's actual marital status for carrying out procedures for marriage registration or obtaining a marital status certificate for use for other purposes.

4. A fine of between VND 10,000,000 and 20,000,000 shall be imposed for either of the following acts:

a/ Providing illegal marriage brokerage;

b/ Abusing marriage registration for self-seeking, sexual assault or labor exploitation purpose.

5. Additional sanction:

Confiscation of modified, erased, falsified or forged papers, for acts specified in Clause 1, and Points b and c, Clause 2, of this Article.

6. Remedies:

a/ Revocation and cancellation of issued marriage certificates, for acts specified in Clauses 1, 2 and 3 of this Article;

b/ Competent agencies shall revoke, upon request, issued marriage certificates, and guide involved parties to make marriage registration again under law, for acts specified in Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article which are not in violation of regulations on marriage conditions.

Article 12. Acts of violation of regulations on organization and operation of marriage assistance centers

1. A caution or a fine of between VND 500,000 and 1,000,000 shall be imposed on a marriage assistance center committing any of the following acts:

a/ Failing to notify a competent state agency of a change in its name, head office or head;

b/ Failing to comply with regulations on reporting, compilation, management and use of books, records and forms;

c/ Failing to publicize and collect charges for marriage assistance services at publicized rates under regulations;

d/ Modifying or erasing without permission or otherwise falsifying operation registration certificates or papers in dossiers of application for operation registration certificates.

2. A fine of between VND 2,000,000 and 3,000,000 shall be imposed on a marriage assistance center committing any of the following acts:

a/ Forging papers or using forged papers in a dossier of application for an operation registration certificate or dossier of application for registration of a change in its operation; forging an operation registration certificate or using a forged operation registration certificate;

b/ Making untruthful declarations in carrying out procedures for applying for an operation registration certificate;

c/ Operating beyond the registered scope of operation or conducting operations not stated in its operation registration certificate;

d/ Failing to register with a competent state agency a change in its registered operation, name or head office;

dd/ Forcing marriage assistance recipients to give money or material benefits in addition to prescribed remuneration;

e/ Letting an individual or another organization use its operation registration certificate.

3. A fine of between VND 5,000,000 and 10,000,000 shall be imposed on a marriage assistance center committing any of the following acts:

a/ Providing marriage assistance upon expiration of its operation registration certificate or operating before being issued the operation registration certificate;

b/ Providing marriage assistance for sexual assault, labor exploitation or self-seeking purpose;

c/ Providing marriage assistance in any form without satisfying marriage assistance conditions as prescribed by law.

4. Additional sanctions:

a/ Deprivation of the right to use operation registration certificates for 1-3 months, for acts specified at Point d, Clause 1, and Points c, d and f, Clause 2, of this Article;

b/ Deprivation of the right to use operation registration certificates for an indefinite time, for acts specified at Point b, Clause 3 of this Article;

c/ Deprivation of modified, erased, falsified or forged papers, for acts specified at Point d, Clause 1, and Points a and b, Clause 2, of this Article;

d/ Confiscation of illegal benefits earned from acts specified at Points e and f, Clause 2, and Clause 3, of this Article.

Article 13. Acts of violation of regulations on death registration

1. A caution or a fine of between VND 50,000 and 100,000 shall imposed on a person responsible for registering a deceased person's death who fails to do so within a law-prescribed time limit.

2. A fine of between VND 100,000 and 300,000 shall be imposed for modifying or erasing without permission or otherwise falsifying papers for carrying out procedures for death registration.

3. A fine of between VND 200,000 and 500,000 shall be imposed for forging papers or using forged papers or committing another deceitful act for carrying out procedures for death registration.

4. A fine of between VND 500,000 and 1,000,000 shall be imposed for either of the following acts:

a/ Registering the death of a living person for self-seeking purpose;

b/ Intentionally providing an untruthful testimony to the death of another person.

5. Additional sanction:

Confiscation of modified, erased, falsified or forged papers, for acts specified in Clauses 2 and 3 of this Article.

6. Remedies:

Revocation of issued death certificates and guidance on death declaration re-registration under law, by the issuing agency or a competent agency requested to do so, for acts specified in Clauses 2, 3 and 4 of this Article.

Article 14. Acts of violation of regulations on registration of guardianship; registration of recognition of parents or children; change in or correction of civic status registration; nationality re-identification; sex reassignment; supplementation or adjustment of civic status registration; issuance of marital status certificates

1. A fine of between VND 100,000 and 300,000 shall be imposed for either of the following acts:

a/ Intentionally providing an untruthful testimony;

b/ Modifying or erasing without permission or otherwise falsifying papers for carrying out prescribed procedures.

2. A fine of between VND 200,000 and 500,000 shall be imposed for forging pagers or using forged papers or committing another deceitful act in carrying out prescribed procedures for self-seeking purpose.

3. Additional sanction:

Confiscation of modified, erased, falsified or forged papers, for acts specified at Point b, Clause 1, and Clause 2, of this Article.

Article 15. Acts of violation of regulations on citizenship management

1. A fine of between VND 500,000 and 1,000,000 shall be imposed for modifying or erasing without permission or otherwise falsifying papers or intentionally making untruthful declarations in a dossier of application for naturalization in Vietnam, restoration renunciation of Vietnamese citizenship, or a dossier of application for registration for Vietnamese citizenship retention.

2. A fine of between VND 1,000,000 and 2,000,000 shall be imposed for forging papers or using forged papers for carrying out citizenship procedures.

3. Additional sanction:

Confiscation of modified, erased, falsified or forged papers, for acts specified in Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article.

4. Remedies:

a/ Revocation of papers certifying the registration for Vietnamese citizenship retention, restoration or renunciation of Vietnamese citizenship by competent agencies upon request, for acts specified in Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article.

b/ Cancellation of decisions permitting the naturalization in Vietnam by competent agencies upon request within 5 years after these decisions are issued, for acts specified in Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article.

Article 16. Acts of violation of regulations on issuance and use of judicial record cards, computerized data and databases on judicial records

1. A caution or a fine of between VND 200,000 and 500,000 shall be imposed for modifying or erasing without permission or falsifying papers for carrying out procedures for applying for judicial record cards.

2. A fine of between VND 500,000 and 1,000,000 shall be imposed for forging papers or using forged papers for carrying out procedures for applying for judicial record cards.

3. A fine of between VND 2,000,000 and 5,000,000 shall be imposed for any of the following acts:

a/ Illegally accessing or using, or eradicating judicial record data;

b/ Illegally printing, copying or changing judicial record data;

c/ Illegally using judicial record cards of others;

d/ Modifying or erasing without permission or otherwise falsifying judicial record cards; forging judicial record cards or using forged ones.

4. Acts of administrative violation in accessing information on judicial records in computerized databases shall be sanctioned under the decree on sanctioning of administrative violations in information technology.

5. Additional sanction:

Confiscation of modified, erased, falsified or forged papers, for acts specified in Clauses 1 and 2, and Point d, Clause 3, of this Article.

6. Remedy:

Revocation of issued judicial record cards by competent agencies upon request, for violations specified in Clauses 1 and 2, and Point d, Clause 3, of this Article.

Section 4. ACTS OF ADMINISTRATIVE VIOLATION IN NOTARIZATION AND SANCTIONS

Article 17. Acts of violation of regulations on notarization of contracts and transactions

1. A fine of between VND 500,000 and 1,000,000 shall be imposed for deceitful or dishonest acts in providing testimony.

2. A fine of between VND 1,000,000 and 2,000,000 shall be imposed for modifying or erasing without permission or otherwise falsifying papers for notarization of a contract or transaction.

3. A fine of between VND 2,000,000 and 4,000,000 shall be imposed for forging paper or using forged papers or impersonating contracting or transacting parties to obtain notarization of a contract or transaction.

4. A fine of between VND 3,000,000 and 5,000,000 shall be imposed for any of the following acts:

a/ A notary public compiling a contract or transaction document at the request of a notarization applicant whose intention to enter into a contract or transaction or content of that contract or transaction is unclear, unlawful or contrary to social ethics;

b/ Conducting notarization outside the office of a notary public organization, unless the notarization applicant is an aged and weak person who cannot walk, a person temporarily held in custody or a detention facility or currently serving an imprisonment sentence or a person who is, for a plausible reason, unable to show up at the office of the notary public organization;

c/ Failing to conduct notarization within a prescribed time limit;

d/ Correcting technical errors in notarized documents in contravention of regulations.

5. A fine of between VND 5,000,000 and 10,000,000 shall be imposed on a notary public notarizing a real estate contract or transaction falling beyond his/her competence specified in Article 37 of the Law on Notarization.

6. Additional sanction:

Confiscation of modified, erased, falsified or forged papers, for acts specified in Clauses 2 and 3 of this Article.

7. Remedy:

Cancellation of performed contracts or transactions, for acts specified at Point a, Clause 4 of this Article.

Article 18. Acts of violation of regulations on procedures for notarizing real estate mortgage contracts, testaments, written agreements on inheritance division, written declarations of inheritance receipt or inheritance waivers, and archive of testaments

1. A fine of between VND 3,000,000 and 5,000,000 shall be imposed for either of the following acts:

a/ Notarizing a real estate mortgage contract outside a province or centrally run city where any of mortgaged real estate is situated and the notary public organization is located;

b/ Failing to strictly comply with regulations on notarization of mortgaged real estate to secure the fulfillment of an obligation and in case a mortgage contract which has been notarized is notarized again for mortgage as security for another obligation.

2. A fine of between VND 5,000,000 and 10,000,000 shall be imposed for any of the following acts:

a/ Notarizing a testament for an individual who is not the testament maker or in case the testament maker suffers from a mental disease or another disease which renders him/her incapable of perceiving and controlling his/her acts or when there is a ground to believe that the testament is made as a result of fraudulence or intimidation or under coercion;

b/ Notarizing a written agreement on division of an inheritance without verifying the reliability of the land use rights or property ownership right of the bequeather or without identifying whether or not the notarization requester is the heir or when there is a ground to believe that the bequeathal and receipt of the inheritance are unlawful;

c/ A notary public who undertakes to keep in custody a testament failing to seal up the testament before the testament maker or failing to record in writing the undertaking to keep in custody the testament or failing to hand over the testament to its maker;

d/ A notarization practice organization which undertakes to keep in custody a testament before its dissolution or termination of its operation failing to reach agreement with the testament maker on transfer of the testament to another notarization practice organization for keeping in custody or failing to return the testament to its maker and refund the testament keeping charge to the testament maker in case no agreement is reached.

3. Additional sanction:

Deprivation of notary public cards for between 6 and 12 months, for acts specified in Clause 1, and Points a, b and c, Clause 2, of this Article.

4. Remedies:

a/ Forcible notarization under law, for acts specified at Point b, Clause 1, and Point c and d, Clause 2 of this Article;

b/ Revocation of notarized documents, for acts specified at Points a and b, Clause 2 of this Article;

Article 19. Acts of violation of regulations on dossiers and procedures for requesting the appointment of notaries public

1. A fine of between VND 1,000,000 and 2,000,000 shall be imposed for modifying or erasing without permission or otherwise falsifying originals of papers issued by competent agencies in a dossier of request for appointment of a notary public or issuance of a notary public card.

2. A fine of between VND 3,000,000 and 5,000,000 shall be imposed for forging a notary public card or using a forged notary public card; forging papers or using forged papers in a dossier of request for appointment of a notary public.

3. Additional sanction:

Deprivation of modified, erased, falsified or forged papers or notary public cards, for acts specified in Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article.

Article 20. Acts of breaching obligations of notaries public

1. A fine of between VND 500,000 and 1,000,000 shall be imposed for any of the following acts:

a/ Disclosing information on notarized documents without written consent of document owners, unless otherwise provided for by law;

b/ Using notarized information and documents to infringe upon legitimate rights and interests of other persons;

c/ Harassing for bribe or causing troubles to a notarization requester;

d/ Refusing to notarize a contract or transaction without any plausible reason.

2. A fine of between VND 1,000,000 and 2,000,000 shall be imposed for any of the following acts:

a/ Receiving or asking for a sum of money or another benefit to be paid by the notarization requester other than notarization charge or remuneration and other expenses already determined or agreed;

b/ Notarizing a contract or transaction in case the purpose and content of this contract or transaction are unlawful or contrary to social ethics;

c/ A notary public performing notarization which is related to his/her assets or benefits or his/her spouse, parents, parents-in-law, adoptive parents, blood children, adopted children, children-in-law or grandchildren, his/her or his/her spouse's paternal or maternal grandparents or blood siblings;

d/ Using another person's notary public card or letting another person use one's notary public card to practice notarization;

dd/ Practicing notarization in any form without fully satisfying the law-prescribed conditions therefore.

3. Additional sanctions:

Deprivation of the right to use notary public cards for between 6 and 12 months, for acts specified at Points a, c and d, Clause 2 of this Article. Deprivation of the right to use notary public cards for an indefinite duration, for acts specified at Point b, Clause 2 of this Article.

4. Remedies:

a/ Forcible notarization of contracts or transactions, for acts specified at Point d, Clause 1 of this Article;

b/ Forcible refund of sums of money or other benefits, for acts specified at Point a, Clause 2 of this Article;

c/ Revocation of notarized documents, for acts specified at Point c, Clause 2 of this Article.

Click D ownload to see full text