Filenews 23 March 2024 - by Eleftheria Paizanou
Dozens of complaints about overcharges during the certification of signatures by certifying employees have recently been received by the Ministry of Interior, following the implementation of the new charges.
The competent ministry calls on citizens to keep their eyes on fourteen and check whether the documents they receive record the charges imposed on them. At the same time, in a circular to the competent government departments, he instructs them not to accept documents that do not indicate the amount of the tariff paid by the citizen.
"In order to strengthen the protection of citizens from actions of over-indebtedness, for which we, as the Ministry of Interior, have received many complaints, please give instructions for non-acceptance of documents that do not indicate the amount charged to the citizen," added the circular, signed by the Interior Ministry's director-general, Dr. Elikos Elias.
At the same time, it states that, according to Articles 10 and 12 of the Law on Certifying Officers, the certifying officer is obliged to indicate the rights he has received for the certifications of signatures he has made on each document. As the Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarifies, a document is considered not to have been certified, according to the relevant legislation, if the amount is not indicated on the stamp.
"Based on the notification of the Minister of the Interior, if the document is multi-paged, then the certifying officer will calculate the charge which he will indicate on the stamp he will put on the first and last page of the document," he adds. It also clarifies that this provision does not apply to signature certifications made by community leaders, as they enjoy a monthly allowance for their services to the citizens of their community or parish. In conclusion, he emphasizes that community leaders continue to use the seal of their community, unlike certifying officials, who now use a new seal.
The new charges came into effect last month, following a notification by the interior minister. Citizens can turn to the community leaders for the certification of documents without paying anything or turn to certifying officers, who will charge them based on the new tariffs for their services. Charges are now based on the number of pages of the document and not on the number of signatories, as was the case until now.
A few weeks ago, the Council of Ministers approved a bill whereby the certifications of signatures and seals will also be made by KEP and KEPOs.
