WILLEMSTAD – The Curaçao government has taken a major step toward reforming the island’s notary system in an effort to reduce long waiting times and improve legal services for citizens and businesses.
Minister of Justice Shalten Hato personally delivered the draft legislation to amend the National Ordinance on the Notarial Profession to Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas on May 13, 2026.
According to the government, the personal delivery was intended to emphasize the urgency and social importance of the legislative process and to ensure that the reform trajectory continues with priority attention.
The draft legislation will now be submitted for advice to the Department of Legislation and Legal Affairs (WJZ), which falls under the Ministry of General Affairs.
The proposed reforms are largely driven by persistent complaints from the public about lengthy waiting times within Curaçao’s notary sector. Authorities say those delays directly affect both citizens and businesses and create problems for legal certainty as well as economic and legal transactions.
The bill contains several measures intended to structurally address the problem.
One of the main proposals is to increase overall capacity within the notarial sector by expanding the number of notaries operating on the island.
The legislation also introduces the concept of an “associate notary,” allowing experienced candidate notaries to independently perform certain tasks under the responsibility and supervision of a licensed notary.
In addition, the reform seeks to establish a clearer and phased professional structure aimed at improving long-term recruitment, training, and career advancement within the profession.
According to the government, the measures are intended to create a more flexible and future-oriented notarial system capable of improving services and reducing waiting periods.
Before reaching this stage, the government already conducted consultations with various stakeholders from the legal sector, including representatives from the notarial profession and related industries.
Officials stated that feedback and recommendations from those consultations were incorporated into the draft legislation wherever possible in order to better align the proposal with practical realities and the actual bottlenecks currently affecting the sector.
The government said the decision by Minister Hato to personally hand over the draft legislation reflects the importance being attached to the reform process because of its impact on both society and the economy.
According to the government, the continuation of the legislative process marks an important step toward creating a more accessible, efficient, and better functioning notarial system in Curaçao.