What Bundesnotarkammer does

Bundesnotarkammer is the statutory federal chamber (Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts) representing all approximately 6,700-7,000 German notaries at the national and international level, headquartered in Berlin with a representative office in Brussels. Founded in 1961, it operates as a self-governing public law entity under the legal supervision of the Federal Ministry of Justice, with the 21 regional Notarkammern as mandatory members. Its remit includes professional representation in federal legislative processes, training and continuing education, anti-money-laundering guidance, and the operation of core national digital infrastructure for notarial services.

Its product portfolio centers on a stack of statutory digital services: the Elektronisches Urkundenarchiv for 100-year electronic custody of authentic acts (live since 2022); the Zertifizierungsstelle, a qualified trust service provider under eIDAS issuing signature cards for electronic legal transactions; the Zentrales Vorsorgeregister (7M+ registrations as of May 2026) and Zentrales Testamentsregister for advance directives and wills; the Notarielle Online-Verfahren portal for video-based notarization (GmbH formations, register applications); and the Grundschuldformularportal integrating with six major German credit institutions. The platform runs on a service-oriented architecture with PKI (KeyFactor EJBCA), Keycloak/LDAP identity management, Docker/OKD containerization, and German e-Justice protocols (beBPo, beN, OSCI, XÖV/XJustiz, S.A.F.E., XTA, beA), with an in-house IT department of approximately 180 staff. Two wholly-owned subsidiaries — NotarNet GmbH (Cologne) for secure notarial communication software and the Deutsches Notarinstitut (Würzburg) for legal scientific consulting — extend the operating perimeter.

The business model is predominantly funded by statutory membership fees routed through the 21 regional Notarkammern, supplemented by transaction-based revenue from the certification authority and trust services, and by publication revenue (Deutsche Notar-Zeitschrift, monthly circulation 7,000). All data processing is GDPR-compliant and confined to data centers in Germany. Because membership is mandatory and the digital infrastructure is statutorily assigned, the entity operates on a captive-demand model with effectively no customer churn risk, while expanding its product surface through the EUDI Wallet Sandbox (MoU signed 2025-11-19), ZVR electronic-copy expansion (2025-12), and continued online-procedure rollouts.

Name

Bundesnotarkammer

Legal name

Bundesnotarkammer Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts

Website

https://bnotk.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Bundesnotarkammer is the statutory federal chamber (Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts) representing all ~6,700-7,000 German notaries, providing national digital infrastructure including the Electronic Document Archive, Certification Authority, and Central Registers for wills and powers of attorney, plus online notarization services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Notary Professional Services & Digital Notarial Infrastructure

NAICS

Offices of Notaries (54112), All Other Legal Services (541199)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

MPC / HSM / Key Management Infrastructure (FSADACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

KYC/Client Due Diligence & Participant Onboarding Controls (FSAFAKAF), Regulatory Reporting & Recordkeeping (AML/CTF) (FSAMAMAG)

Keywords

• Notarial professional chamber
• Digital registry services
• Electronic legal transactions
• Qualified trust services
• Notary public infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Statutory Membership Fees: As a statutory corporation under public law with mandatory membership for all German notaries, the Bundesnotarkammer operates through membership fees from the 21 regional Notarkammern.
2. Trust Services and Certification: The Certification Authority issues signature cards for electronic legal transactions as a qualified trust service provider.
3. Publication Revenue: Deutsche Notar-Zeitschrift (DNotZ) is the official promulgating journal with monthly circulation of 7,000 copies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bundesnotarkammer is the statutory professional chamber (Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts) representing all approximately 6,700-7,000 German notaries at the federal level. It operates critical digital infrastructure including the Electronic Archive of Authentic Acts (Elektronisches Urkundenarchiv) for 100-year document storage, the Certification Authority (Zertifizierungsstelle) issuing qualified signature cards, the Central Register of Lasting Powers of Attorney and Central Register of Wills, and notarial online procedures for remote GmbH formations. It also represents notaries in national and EU legislative processes and provides training and continuing education.

Product overview

Bundesnotarkammer operates a comprehensive portfolio of interconnected digital services for German notaries. The core infrastructure consists of the Elektronisches Urkundenarchiv (Electronic Archive of Authentic Acts) for 100-year secure document storage, the Zertifizierungsstelle (Certification Authority) for digital signature cards, and the Zentrales Vorsorgeregister (Central Register of Lasting Powers of Attorney) and Zentrales Testamentsregister (Central Register of Wills) for official registration of succession and care documents. The Notarielle Online-Verfahren enables video-based remote notarization, while the Grundschuldformularportal facilitates land charge procedures with German banks via beBPo/beN integration. Subsidiary NotarNet GmbH provides XNotar software and Notarnetz secure communication infrastructure. Supporting offerings include the Deutsche Notar-Zeitschrift professional journal, BNotK International publications, the Deutsches Notarinstitut scientific institute, and the Prüfungsamt examination office. The portfolio operates on standardized German e-Justice protocols (beBPo, beN, OSCI, XÖV) for interoperability with courts, banks, and government registries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zentrales Vorsorgeregister (ZVR): Official registration office for lasting powers of attorney, care directives, and patient directives in Germany
• Zentrales Testamentsregister (ZTR)
• Zertifizierungsstelle
• Elektronisches Urkundenarchiv
• NotarNet GmbH
• Deutsches Notarinstitut (DNotI)
• Notarielle Online-Verfahren
• Prüfungsamt für die notarielle Fachprüfung

Products and services

• Elektronisches Urkundenarchiv (Electronic Archive of Authentic Acts) Centralized electronic IT system for notaries to securely store electronic document collections, document indexes, and safekeeping registers. Enables paperless retrieval and issuance of copies and originals with 100-year storage guarantee.
• Zertifizierungsstelle der Bundesnotarkammer (Certification Authority) Qualified trust service provider (eIDAS-compliant) that issues signature cards for electronic legal transactions, serving as the digital equivalent of seal and signature for notaries.
• Zentrales Vorsorgeregister (Central Register of Lasting Powers of Attorney) Official registration body for lasting powers of attorney, care directives, and patient directives in Germany. Has registered over 7 million entries as of May 2026.
• Zentrales Testamentsregister (Central Register of Wills) Registration office for wills, inheritance contracts, and other succession-relevant documents in official custody for the entire Federal Republic of Germany. Central to the German notification system in inheritance matters.
• Notarielle Online-Verfahren (Notarial Online Procedures) Video communication system enabling notarial online procedures including GmbH and UG (haftungsbeschränkt) formations and registrations to commercial, cooperative, society, partnership, and association registers. Uses electronic identity verification with highest security levels.
• Grundschuldformularportal (Land Charge Form Portal) Internal portal for notaries to download current forms for land charge establishment from participating credit institutions. Developed in cooperation with German banking associations including Bank-Verlag GmbH, Deutsche Bank AG, Deutscher Sparkassenverlag, DG Nexolution eG, NRW.BANK, and UniCredit Bank GmbH. Integrates with beBPo and beN electronic legal traffic standards.
• XNotar (by NotarNet GmbH) Software for processing electronic legal transactions in the notarial environment, offered by NotarNet GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bundesnotarkammer.
• Notarnetz (by NotarNet GmbH) Secure communication infrastructure for notaries in the notarial environment, offered by NotarNet GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bundesnotarkammer.
• Deutsche Notar-Zeitschrift (DNotZ) Leading professional journal for notaries in Germany, legally required reading, with monthly circulation of 7,000 copies. Covers case law in civil law, real estate, family, succession, commercial law, and notarial cost law.
• Deutsches Notarinstitut (DNotI) Scientific institution in Würzburg maintained by the Bundesnotarkammer since 1993 that prepares legal opinions and current information for notarial practice consultation.
• Prüfungsamt für die notarielle Fachprüfung Examination office at the Bundesnotarkammer that organizes the professional examination for notaries, required for lawyers seeking appointment as notaries in Germany.
• notar.de Informationsportal Official information portal of the Bundesnotarkammer that helps citizens find notaries throughout Germany and learn about notarial services for real estate, company formations, wills, powers of attorney, and family law matters.
• BNotK International Monthly publication on EU and international notarial topics, published in English and German in digital format, addressed to notaries in Germany and abroad.
• Elektronischer Rechtsverkehr (ERV) Information Portal Information portal at elrv.info providing answers to typical practice questions about electronic legal transactions in the notary sector and an overview of progress across German federal states.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 7 million registrations in the Central Register of Lasting Powers of Attorney
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EUDI Wallet Consortium (including IDNow Trust Services, Persona, WebID, Namirial, Secunet, Sopra Steria, Giesecke+Devrient)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2025The German government signed a memorandum of understanding with over 75 organizations to collaborate on launching the EU Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet in Germany and across the EU. The Bundesnotarkammer is involved in the EUDI-Wallet-Sandbox to contribute impulses for Europe's digital trust infrastructure.
• NotarNet GmbHcoreOthersNotarNet GmbH is a subsidiary of the Bundesnotarkammer with headquarters in Cologne. It offers products focused on secure communication in the notarial environment, including XNotar software for electronic legal transactions and Notarnetz secure communication infrastructure.
• Council of Notariats of the European Union (CNUE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Bundesnotarkammer is actively involved at European level within the CNUE. Dr. Peter Stelmaszczyk served as CNUE President in 2023. The CNUE represents 22 member notariats and over 45,000 notaries in the EU.
• International Union of Notaries (UINL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Bundesnotarkammer is a member of the UINL which has 92 member notariats globally. It hosted the UINL Institutional Meetings and the 31st World Congress of Notaries in Berlin in autumn 2025 with over 1,000 participants.
• University of MannheimminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Dr. Carsten Schäfer and Max Paul Waimer from the University of Mannheim prepared a legal expert opinion on the EU Inc. proposal of the European Commission on behalf of the Bundesnotarkammer.
• German Banking Associations and Credit InstitutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationThe Grundschuldformularportal (Land Charge Form Portal) was developed in cooperation with German banking associations including Bank-Verlag GmbH, Deutsche Bank AG, Deutscher Sparkassenverlag, DG Nexolution eG, NRW.BANK, and UniCredit Bank GmbH.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• DATEV eG: DATEV is a German cooperative providing IT infrastructure, software, and digital services to tax advisors, auditors, and legal professionals. While not a direct peer, it represents a comparable model of professional-IT infrastructure provider serving a German liberal profession with a cooperative governance structure analogous to BNotK's chamber-based delivery model.
• CNUE - Council of the Notariats of the European Union: CNUE is the umbrella organization representing 22 national notariats and over 45,000 notaries at EU level, with BNotK serving as an active member and CNUE presidency currently held by BNotK's Dr. Stelmaszczyk. CNUE functions as the trade association peer rather than a direct competitor, coordinating EU advocacy and standards.

Direct peers

• Conseil National des Notaires (France): The French national chamber of notaries is the most directly comparable peer, representing all French notaries as a statutory professional body, operating central registers (e.g., the Fichier Central des Dispositions de Dernières Volontés), providing digital infrastructure for notarial services, and serving as the official interlocutor with the French government on notarial law reform.
• Consiglio Nazionale del Notariato (Italy): Italy's national council of notaries is a directly comparable statutory professional body, representing approximately 5,000 notaries across Italy, providing notarial training and standards, operating digital authentication services, and acting as the representative body in EU-level discussions—paralleling Bundesnotarkammer's role in Germany.
• Consejo General del Notariado (Spain): Spain's General Council of the Notariat is the statutory body representing Spanish notaries, operating the centralised electronic registry (Registro Electrónico de Órdenes), issuing qualified electronic certificates under eIDAS, and coordinating technology standards—directly analogous to BNotK's Bundesnotarkammer functions in Germany.
• Chambre des Notaires du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg: Luxembourg's national chamber of notaries is a smaller but structurally identical statutory professional body representing Luxembourg notaries, providing digital infrastructure, and serving as the regulatory interlocutor—operates at smaller scale but with the same public-law mandate and digital service portfolio as BNotK.

Broad incumbents

• Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer (BRAK): The German Federal Bar Association is the parallel statutory professional body for German lawyers, operating the beA (besonderes elektronisches Anwaltspostfach) secure communication infrastructure for the legal profession. It offers a directly comparable organizational model and digital infrastructure mandate within Germany, though focused on attorneys rather than notaries.
• Wirtschaftsprüferkammer (WPK): The German Chamber of Public Accountants is a parallel German public-law professional chamber operating with statutory membership, professional examination (similar to BNotK's Prüfungsamt), and quality assurance infrastructure for the audit profession—an adjacent institutional peer with comparable governance and digital service responsibilities.

Emerging players

• D-Trust GmbH (Bundesdruckerei Group): D-Trust is a commercial eIDAS-qualified trust service provider and subsidiary of Bundesdruckerei, issuing qualified electronic signature certificates. It directly competes with BNotK's Zertifizierungsstelle in the German qualified signature card market and is also part of the EUDI Wallet consortium—a commercial counterpart to BNotK's trust services.

Regional players

• The Notaries Society (UK): The UK professional body for notaries public represents a comparable professional organization but in a fundamentally different notarial system (UK notaries are solicitors with notarial qualification rather than a separate profession). Comparable in membership organization and professional development function, but operates in a distinct legal tradition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bundesnotarkammer

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Bundesnotarkammer