BEIJING — China has published a list of prohibitions to further regulate notarization practices across the country, according to a guideline released by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) on Aug 14.

Notarizations for applicants whose identities are not verified are now prohibited. Notaries and notary organizations must confirm the identities of applicants by viewing their ID cards and cross-checking the information, the ministry said.

Moreover, notaries must not issue notarial certificates without examining the content of the notarization, and should fulfill their duty to a higher standard, the guideline stated.

Notaries who break the rules will receive severe repercussions with zero tolerance, according to the MOJ.

The guideline also called for more simplified notarial processes, and asked for efforts to make obtaining notarizations more convenient for the public, while also raising the quality of notarization services.

Recently, the notarization practice has drawn a lot of attention among the public, as some cases involved unreasonable conduct and failure to receive people’s full consent.