NOTARIAL INFORMATION-SHARING WITH SOCIAL PROTECTION AUTHORITIES AS A SAFEGUARD OF THE PROPERTY AND INHERITANCE RIGHTS OF VULNERABLE PERSONS: EVIDENCE FROM UZBEKISTAN

Notarial confidentiality is a core principle of the Latin-type notariat, yet modern legal systems increasingly require notaries to share selected information with public authorities. This article examines the 2025 reform in Uzbekistan that obliged notaries to provide social protection authorities with information on lifelong maintenance and life annuity transactions, transactions concerning the property of persons under guardianship, and, upon request, on property passing to citizens by inheritance and gift. Using doctrinal, comparative and case-based methods, the article analyses the legal framework before and after Law No. ZRU-1102 of 17 December 2025, the rationale of the reform and its relationship with notarial secrecy and personal data protection. It argues that targeted, request-based information-sharing strengthens the protection of elderly persons, wards and low-income families and improves the accuracy of social assistance, provided that the scope of data, the channel of transmission and the purposes of use are strictly defined. Recommendations are formulated for an electronic, logged exchange through the notarial information system and for minimum safeguards that preserve the confidence of citizens in the notary.