Does anyone know if most notaries can be found working in banks? My SO needs to find one in Asuncion, Paraguay but where should he begin looking?

Each country has its own rules, I guess. In Brazil, we have to go to tabeliães/notários públicos to have certified copies or have our signatures notarized.

I just did a quick search on Google and I guess it works kind of the same way there.

Where did you search in Google? I've been trying to search for one in Asuncion and came up with nothing. I wish Paraguay had more websites!

I searched for "notario publico" asuncion. I didn't come up with any addresses or anything, but I didn't really look hard enough. I just wanted to know whether they had notaries there.

Oh, I'm sure every country has them, it's just in PY it's more like you know someone because so and so told you about them (all through connections), I wish it was easier for those who aren't so connected!

I don't know how it works in Paraguay. In Brazil, we go to these big offices they have and do it in like, 10 minutes tops. I think your fiance will have no problem finding one.

So... I found a link to this site: http://www.cep.org.py/ - Colegio de Escribanos del Paraguay. I found it through the association of notaries in Brazil. Maybe it'll help you.

thanks Mew, nice searching skills....

Are legalized and notarized synonyms? Birth certificates have to be legalized I believe. My fiance has to travel all the way to Paraguay to have his "legalized" at one of the Ministerios, I'm not sure which one.

I'm confused! I thought legalized and notarized were the same...but maybe it's something different in Paraguay. The embassy said that if I need a certified copy of his birth certificate "to use in the United States" I can get it ceritifed at the embassy..for $30. Now, would an embassy certification be more "legit" here than from an unkown notary? I'll probably end up doing this because there's going to be such limited documents that he'll have to prove his identity here in the states. I was looking at the Registry of Motor Vehicles for Massachusetts and I don't think we even have the list of documents (as proof of identification) that he'll need to get a license (we'll have to get creative) and I figure a US Embassy certified birth certificate is pretty good!
Where did your fiance here about a legalized copy needed from the Ministerio? I don't think they ever mentioned that to us. Did they tell him that in Buenos Aires?

Can I just tell you how jealous I am? The embassy at Asuncion just plain rocks. I can't believe how helpful they are! The Buenos Aires embassy is terrible. They never answer e-mails, and when they do, they give very vague information and contradict themselves. They also charge $8 per phone call.