Notaries are appointed to act in a specific territory only, either a state or one of the federal territories. Here is the breakdown of where notaries practice in Malaysia:
Kuala Lumpur 133
Selangor 40
Penang 36
Johor 26
Sarawak 22
Sabah 13
Perak 12
Negeri Sembilan 6
Melaka 6
Kedah 5
Pahang 4
Labuan 3
Putrajaya 2
Kelantan 2
Terengganu 1
Perlis 0
The figures are taken from the Attorney General’s Chambers’ website and the total is 311.
Since notaries are appointed from practising lawyers, the number of notaries in a state or FT will tend to reflect the number of lawyers practising there. The size of each state Bar is in turn influenced by the level of local legal and economic activity.
It is therefore no surprise the largest number of notaries, some 43%, are found in Kuala Lumpur. I do feel a little sorry for anyone in Perlis who needs the services of a notary. I suppose it is a short hop over to Kedah, where they have all of five to choose from.
In 2013, there were 15,331 advocates & solicitors in Peninsula Malaysia. Only practitioners with more than 15 years’ experience are eligible for appointment. I estimate there are about 6,000 who have reached this milestone in their professional lives. The 276 notaries in Peninsula Malaysia therefore constitute about 4.6% of all eligible lawyers in this part of the country.
Are there too few or too many notaries? Certainly it is easier to find a lawyer than to find a notary. However, I think the numbers regulate themselves. All 6,000 senior lawyers could have applied for appointment but they did not, I suspect, because apart from a lack of interest in this field of law, there is little financial incentive to do so. Notarial fees are prescribed by law, and they have not increased in decades. So lawyers who do take up notarial work are that odd species who either feel the fees justify the effort or, as a fellow notary told me, because they feel it is a form of public service. For myself, both these factors play a role but I also find it quite interesting to meet a wide spectrum of people. It certainly breaks up the monotony of my usual office work.
Malaysian Notary Public 