Ministry of Justice Strengthens Cooperation with the Portuguese Institute of Registries and Notaries
On October 14th 2024, the Ministry of Justice, represented by the General Director of Justice Policy, Honorio Aureliano Soares Magalhães, met with the Institute of Registries and Notaries of Portugal (IRN) in Lisbon. The timorese delegation, under the guidance of the Minister of Justice, Sérgio de Jesus Fernandes da Costa Hornai, discussed initiatives to strengthen registration and notary services in Timor-Leste.
The main objective of the meeting was to develop the notary registration service in accordance with current legislation and to build on the Strategic Development Plan (SDP) until 2024, as well as the Strategic Cooperation Plan between Portugal and Timor-Leste (DGP) for the period 2024 to 2028, recently signed between the two countries. 
During the meeting, the General Director of Justice Policy of Portugal, Lídia Jacob, and the Deputy President of the IRN, Jorge da Ponte, expressed their willingness to support the inspection and evaluation of the work of registrars and notaries in Timor-Leste, with a focus on defining classification criteria and offering continuous training. They also discussed possible consultancies for the civil registry and identification services and for the creation of a digitized system of registry and notary data, with a view to facilitating the archiving of documents.
General Director of Justice Policy of Timor-Leste emphasized the importance of developing a training plan for registrars and notaries, through seminars and short courses, to be carried out jointly by both nations, in line with bilateral cooperation agreements.
