Coat of Arms of The City of London (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Notaries in the United Kingdom can be divided into general and scrivener notaries. Scrivener notaries, of which there are a very small number, are “lawyer-linguists”, a very specialized branch of the profession practising in the City of London. They must know at least two languages other than English. The high degree of specialisation arose because of London’s historical position as a centre of international trade.
The professional body which represents scrivener notaries is the Society of Scrivener Notaries. The Worshipful Company of Scriveners, one of the City of London’s oldest livery companies, founded in 1373, prescribes the qualification standards and sets the relevant examinations. The 1801 Notaries Public Act provided that only members of the company may be appointed as scrivener notaries.
Scrivener notaries are not solicitors (although there is no restriction against a solicitor being appointed as a scrivener), are able to work in languages other than English and have a detailed knowledge of at least one legal system other than the English system.
Prior to the coming into force of the Access to Justice Act 1999, scrivener notaries had exclusive jurisdiction within the City of London and a three-mile radius of it. The Act abolished this exclusive jurisdiction so that all general or scrivener notaries are entitled to practice anywhere in England or Wales.
In Malaysia, there is only one category of notary which is called simply a notary public or in Bahasa Malaysia, “notari awam”.
Malaysian Notary Public 