The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the most pressing problematic issues of notarial certification of contracts concerning land plots in Ukraine. The author examines the legal nature and functional purpose of notarial certification of land transactions within the system of protection of property rights to land, paying attention to its preventive, protective, certifying and registration functions. The study analyses peculiarities of notarial certification of contracts of sale, lease, mortgage, exchange and donation of land plots in the light of the recent reform of the agricultural land market launched in 2021 and its further extension in 2024 to legal entities. The author identifies systemic legal conflicts and gaps in the current land and notarial legislation, including inconsistencies between the Civil Code, the Land Code and the Law of Ukraine «On Notaries», absence of mandatory notarial form for land lease agreements, and uncertainty regarding preliminary contracts and contracts on parts of land plots. Special attention is given to the problems of notarial actions concerning land under martial law, in particular on temporarily occupied territories and in active combat zones, where landowners are effectively deprived of access to notarial certification. The article also addresses the issues of interaction between notaries and state registers, namely the State Register of Real Property Rights and the State Land Cadastre, including the lack of access to consolidated information on mine contamination and special legal regimes of land plots. The author proposes specific ways to improve legislative regulation, including a unified list of documents to be verified by notaries, mandatory notarial form for long-term agricultural land leases, an institute of deferred notarial certification for occupied territories, and clarification of the limits of civil liability of notaries.

Key words: notarial certification, land sale contract, land lease, land plot, land cadastre, notary, martial law, land market, transaction.

References

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