No Notary Required: EU Inc's Digital Revolution in Company Formation

The End of the Notary Era For centuries, the notary has been an inescapable part of starting a business in continental Europe. From Italy to Germany, from France to Spain, the requirement to sit before a notary, sign physical documents, and pay substantial fees has been the gateway to entrepreneurship. The EU Inc proposal is about to change all of that. By introducing a fully digital company formation process, the EU Inc eliminates the notary requirement entirely. In its place: digital identity verification, automated compliance checks, and qualified electronic signatures. It's the most significant reform to European company law in decades. Why Notaries Existed in Company Formation To understand the significance of this change, it helps to understand why notaries were required in the first place. The notary served several functions in the traditional company formation process: Identity verification: Ensuring that the people signing the incorporation documents were who they claimed to b