What it means
دفترخانه (daftarkhâne) is the official notary’s office in Iran, a licensed institution where contracts, property deeds, marriage and divorce documents, and powers of attorney are drawn up, witnessed, and stamped with legal force. The word is a compound of دفتر (daftar), meaning a book, ledger, or office, which came into Persian from Arabic, which had borrowed it from Greek diphthera (a writing tablet), plus خانه (khâne), the pure Persian word for house. Literally: “the house of the ledger.” In practice, Iranians say دفترخانه اسناد رسمی (daftarkhâne-ye asnâd-e rasmi) for the full formal name, but colloquially دفترخانه alone is understood.
How to use it
- باید بریم دفترخانه سند رو ثبت کنیم. (bâyad berim daftarkhâne sanad ro sabt konim.) “We have to go to the notary’s office to register the deed.”
- دفترخانه ساعت چند بازه؟ (daftarkhâne sâ’at chand bâze?) “What time does the notary office open?”
- وکیل گفت اول بریم دفترخانه. (vakil goft avval berim daftarkhâne.) “The lawyer said we should go to the notary’s office first.”
- عقدنامه رو دفترخانه ثبت میکنه. (aqdnâme ro daftarkhâne sabt mikone.) “The notary office registers the marriage contract.”
Cultural note
In Iran, the دفترخانه is a private institution licensed by the state and operated by a سردفتر (sardaftar), a notary who holds a government license. Unlike in some countries where notarization is a quick administrative formality, visiting a دفترخانه in Iran typically involves scheduling an appointment, bringing multiple original documents, paying registration fees, and sometimes waiting through a formal reading-aloud of the contract. Property transactions legally require both parties and their documents to appear in person at the دفترخانه.