Legal notice for notaries in Germany: what full-time notaries, lawyer-notaries and joint practices must state

Three situations, three legal notices

Before you write the legal notice, clarify who is actually providing the website. That determines whose details go at the top and which professional rules you have to name.

The distinction is more than a formality. Notaries may only join together for shared practice with colleagues at the same official seat (§ 9 (1) BNotO, Federal Notaries Act). If a lawyer-notary belongs to a law firm with offices in several places, he may only use his official title with the addition “Amtssitz” (official seat) and the town (§ 29 (3) BNotO). Both points must be reflected in the legal notice and in the letterhead on the website.

The mandatory details under § 5 DDG, with an example

Since May 2024, the legal notice obligation has been in the Digitale-Dienste-Gesetz (DDG), which replaced the Telemediengesetz (Telemedia Act). In substance, little has changed for notaries. The following example shows the legal notice of a full-time notary in Saxony.

Two fine points: for the address, the official seat alone is not enough; you need the office's address for service of documents. And for the supervisory authority, name the specific president of the Landgericht in whose district your official seat lies. The Oberlandesgericht (higher regional court) and the state justice administration rank above it in the chain of supervision (§ 92 BNotO), but for visitors the immediate authority is the useful detail.

The 21 chambers of notaries and their seats

The notaries of a higher regional court district form a chamber of notaries (§ 65 BNotO), although states can merge districts. That is why North Rhine-Westphalia has two chambers, Lower Saxony three and Rhineland-Palatinate two. You will find your chamber's full address on the members page of the Bundesnotarkammer.

Under “professional rules”, it is worth referring to the guidelines of your chamber. Under § 67 (2) BNotO, the guidelines of the respective chamber of notaries are binding; the Bundesnotarkammer's recommended guidelines serve them as a template.

Lawyer-notaries: two professions, one legal notice

If you appear as “Rechtsanwältin und Notarin” (lawyer and notary), you practise two professions, each with its own professional rules. The legal notice therefore needs both sets of details, clearly separated. Two blocks have proved their worth: “Angaben zur Tätigkeit als Notarin” (details of work as a notary) and “Angaben zur Tätigkeit als Rechtsanwältin” (details of work as a lawyer).

• Notarial office: official title “Notarin” with official seat, supervision by the president of the Landgericht, competent chamber of notaries, BNotO, BeurkG, GNotKG, DONot and chamber guidelines
• Work as a lawyer: professional title “Rechtsanwältin”, awarded in Germany, the competent Rechtsanwaltskammer as chamber and supervisor, BRAO, BORA, FAO and RVG
• Specialist lawyer titles (Fachanwalt) belong in the lawyer's block, not next to the official notarial title
• Professional indemnity insurance: the professional rules for lawyers require separate details for legal work; see the article Legal notice for lawyers in Germany

Editorial content and insurance details

If you publish articles on the website, for example on new rules for certificates of inheritance (Erbschein) or on electronic notarisation by video, or send circulars to former clients, the Medienstaatsvertrag (Interstate Media Treaty) applies. For journalistic or editorial services, § 18 (2) MStV requires a responsible person with name and address. In a sole notary's office, this is usually the notary herself: “Verantwortlich für den Inhalt nach § 18 Abs. 2 MStV: Dr. Lena Beispiel, Anschrift wie oben” (responsible for content under § 18 (2) MStV: Dr. Lena Beispiel, address as above).

Templates often justify stating professional indemnity insurance with the Dienstleistungs-Informationspflichten-Verordnung (DL-InfoV, Services Information Ordinance). However, it only applies to services within the scope of the EU Services Directive (§ 1 DL-InfoV), and the directive excludes notaries appointed by public authorities. Many notaries' offices still name the insurer, address and territorial scope voluntarily, often with a reference to the minimum sum of 500,000 euros per claim under § 19a BNotO. It builds trust and costs one line.

Data sheets, forms and confidentiality

Many notaries' offices offer data sheets on their website for the parties to fill in before a property purchase, the formation of a GmbH or a will. That saves time at the appointment, but it brings sensitive data onto the website: names, dates of birth, land register entries, purchase prices, sometimes details of family circumstances. All of this is covered by the duty of confidentiality under § 18 BNotO, and the same applies to your team.

Cookies, maps and accessibility

For cookies and similar technologies, § 25 TDDDG applies: storing or reading information on a device only with consent, unless it is strictly necessary to provide the requested service. A notary's website without tracking, with locally served fonts and a directions map that only loads after a click, needs no banner. An embedded video from the Bundesnotarkammer on lasting powers of attorney should likewise only load after consent.

Since 28 June 2025, the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG, Accessibility Strengthening Act) has covered e-commerce services aimed at concluding a consumer contract (§ 2 no. 26 BFSG). According to a widely held view, a purely informational site is not covered; whether online appointment booking at a notary's office is covered has not been settled. Microenterprises with fewer than ten employees and no more than 2 million euros in turnover or balance sheet total are exempt (§ 3 (3) BFSG). Regardless of that, readable type, clear contrast and keyboard navigation help everyone planning a lasting power of attorney or a will.

Which content makes sense beyond the mandatory details is shown in the article What belongs on a firm website. What to watch out for in copy, images and channels is covered in Advertising for notaries in Germany.