What a Romanian notary may put on their website: the limits of advertising for regulated professions

You want a website for your notary office, but you're afraid of breaking the rules of the profession — and rightly so. The notariat is a regulated profession, and commercial advertising has no place in it. Out of caution, though, many notaries swing to the other extreme: an empty site that helps no one.

The good news is that the line between what's allowed and what's forbidden is clearer than it looks. You are allowed — and it's genuinely useful — to inform the public about who you are and what deeds you handle. You are not allowed to promote yourself commercially, boast, or solicit clients away from colleagues. This guide shows you concretely what you can write, what to avoid, and what a notary's website looks like when it respects the dignity of the profession without being useless.

"Informing" vs "advertising": the line you don't cross

The key difference isn't between more and less text — it's between informing and advertising. Romania's notary law (Law no. 36/1995) and the profession's code of ethics start from the idea that a notary performs a public-interest service, not a merchant competing for customers.

You can tell the public who you are, where you are, and what deeds you handle — that's informing, it's permitted and even helpful. What you can't use is anything that reads as commercial promotion: superlatives, comparisons with other notaries, offers, promises of results.

A simple test: if a sentence would sound natural on a supermarket flyer ("lowest fees", "limited-time offer"), it doesn't belong on a notary's site. If instead it could sit in a Chamber of Notaries brochure, you're on safe ground.

What you CAN put on the site without worry

Anything that helps a citizen arrive prepared is welcome:

• Identity details: the office name, the titular notary or notaries, the address, opening hours.
• Contact: phone, email, a simple form, a map, access and parking directions.
• Types of deeds and procedures: successions, sale contracts, donations, powers of attorney, declarations, authentications, notarial divorce, apostille, certified copies and translations.
• Practical information: which documents to bring for each procedure, how long it takes, what can't be handled by a notary.
• The languages you assist in and the accessibility of the office.

Educational content — guides, checklists of required documents, plain-language explanations — is the best form of permitted "promotion": it shows you're competent without boasting.

What NOT to put: the traps that breach ethics

Avoid anything that turns the site into a tool for commercial attraction:

• Superlatives and self-praise: "the best / most experienced notary", "the only one who...".
• Comparisons with other notaries or offices.
• Offers, discounts, promotions, "free first consultation", packages.
• Promises of results or guaranteed speed ("your deed in 10 minutes").
• Reviews and testimonials displayed as a client-attraction device.
• Poaching: messages that call clients away from other notaries, or keywords like "cheap notary".

A warning: even if a web designer suggests "let's add Google reviews and an offer banner", you are the one accountable under professional ethics, not them. Ask them explicitly to respect the profession's statute — a serious professional will understand.

Fees: how to display them correctly

Notarial fees follow an official minimum schedule set by a joint order of the Minister of Justice and the National Union of Public Notaries. You may inform the public about fees, but you can't use them as a marketing weapon.

What's correct: stating that fees are set according to the legal schedule in force, and that you provide an estimate for a specific case on request. You can explain why a fee varies — the value of the asset, the type of deed, the complexity.

What's not correct: promoting yourself through price. "Lowest fees in town", discounts, or price comparisons are exactly the kind of commercial message the profession forbids. In practice, price can be information, but never a hook.

What a compliant notary website looks like

A proper notary site isn't minimal out of poverty — it's minimal out of decency. The structure that works:

• A restrained homepage with the office name and what you do.
• A services/procedures page, each with its list of required documents.
• A clear contact page with hours, a map and a phone number.
• Optionally, a useful-information / FAQ section.

You don't need loud animations, pop-ups or "offer" buttons. You need a site that loads fast, looks good on a phone and inspires seriousness.

That's how we work at MPO Web Studio: we first build a ready-made demo for your office — you see it before paying anything — we deliver entirely remotely, anywhere in the country, at a transparent price. If you like, we'll show you exactly what goes on the site and what we leave off. Message us on WhatsApp and we start from a demo.

Google and visibility, without breaking the rules

You want people searching for "notary in your town" to find you — that's legitimate and can be done cleanly.

What's allowed and effective:

• A complete, accurate Google Business profile: name, address, hours, phone.
• Site text that clearly describes procedures, so someone searching "documents needed for a succession" finds you.
• Good speed and a tidy mobile version (Core Web Vitals).

What to avoid: paid campaigns with a commercial message, words like "cheap / fast / best", bought reviews.

And a healthy warning: no one can guarantee you the top spot on Google. Anyone who promises that is either fooling you or using methods that can damage your reputation. A notary's visibility is built on useful information and correctness, not on noisy advertising.