The Office of the Notary to Government and the Notarial Archives make up a single department established by law in order to provide notarial services to Government Departments and Parastatal Corporations as regards the publication, preservation and custody of notarial acts.

The Department also offers a service to members of the public wishing to inspect any deed published by notaries practising in Malta from the fifteenth century to date and to order a copy thereof. The Department is also a useful source of reference material to researchers and scholars.