RIYADH: The last year witnessed a boost in digital authentications in the Kingdom as notaries executed 3.5 million authentications, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The e-notarization system was launched on Nov. 18, 2018, to provide several services that dispense with paperwork and spare clients the need to visit notarial offices for low-risk powers of attorney (PoAs). Of these operations, 2 million were related to issuing PoAs and declarations, and 1 million were related to real estate authentication. Beneficiaries were provided with new options, including the issuance of PoAs through the online portal Najiz of the Justice Ministry after certification by a notary, through mobile notary services provided for special groups, or through authentication services provided by the portal www.mwathiq.sa. Earlier, the ministry revealed eight new e-services in the notarization sector, including digital PoAs, which put an end to paperwork and most clients’ visits to notarial offices. Digital PoAs are sent to clients’ Absher-registered mobile numbers.FASTFACT Riyadh topped the list of Saudi regions with 1.5 million digital authentication operations, Makkah ranked second with 575,000, followed by the Eastern Province with 423,000. “E-notarization will save about 8 million sheets of paper annually, making notarization greener and more cost-effective,” the ministry said. One of the new e-services enables clients to inquire about their PoAs and their validity, terminate unwanted ones, and find out about agencies that have checked the validity of any of their PoAs. Another e-service enables government agencies to verify PoAs online through the Yesser program, the universal access number 920025888, the ministry’s portal (www.moj.gov.sa), and its official app. The new system abridges about 70 percent of procedures and directs clients straight to the assigned notary’s office without having to go through the data entry hall.