If you just need a simple signature witnessing or notarization for a straightforward document during regular business hours and do not require someone to meet you at a specific location, please visit the closest UPS Store or Postal Annex.

These locations typically charge a nominal fee signature even though you may have to stand in line.

We hope that you will find value in our suggestion above since our services cost significantly more due to our overhead. However, we would appreciate it if you liked our Facebook page and following us on Twitter by clicking on the links below.

Our social media fans are eligible for discounts and obtain immediate access our loyalty program. This will come in handy for those times when you really need mobile notary service past regular business hours or at the eleventh hour.

A notary public is a public state officer commissioned by the appointed authority in the state of residence.  Most notaries can perform these functions authorized by state law:

• Administer oaths and affirmations - Sign and seal a document where you swear that you are telling the truth.
• Take acknowledgments - Sign and seal a document which proves that you physically signed a document of your own free will
• Attest to photocopies of certain documents eg. powers of attorney.- Sign and place a seal on a document which confirms a document is a true copy of the original.

As of 2020, 23 states have officially allowed RON (Remote Online Notarization) which can be done remotely via video and relies on third party KBA (Knowledge Based Authentication). This option is ideal when it is certain that a wet-signature will not be required for the transaction in question and a PDF copy will suffice. We are happy to connect you with a remote online notary at the same rates we offer for in-person meetings.

For cases when a paper original is needed, a signer has to physically meet with a notary and sign the notary's journal for the notarization of their signature to be complete (in states where notaries are required to keep journals).

The notary also has to physically examine the signer's ID and ensure that they are signing the document of their own free will which requires a physical meeting.

The following is a list of acceptable forms of ID:

• • An identification card or driver's license issued by a state government.
  • A U.S. passport issued by the State Department of the United States.
  • A passport issued by a foreign government, provided that it has been stamped by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service or the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service.
  • An military identification card issued by any branch of the armed forces of the United States.

If any of the above forms of identification are not available, or it would be excessively difficult for the document signer to obtain them, notaries can use the oaths of a credible witness or two to satisfy notary identification requirements.

In California, the two individuals have to be over the age of 18, have valid identification ready for inspection and must swear or affirm under penalty of perjury that they personally know the signer. They will also need to be present at the time of witnessing and sign the notary journal.

In most other states the notary has to personally know a credible witness who then swears that they know the signer. At present only Arizona, California and Florida are a few of the states where the notary doesn't have to personally know the credible witness.

Without a valid ID or a credible witness who the notary may or may not need to personally know it will not be possible to lawfully notarize a signature.

 

 

Please contact us directly if you have any additional questions!

Contrary to popular belief, notaries do not notarize documents, they notarize signatures. They are required to do the following:

• Examine the document for completeness.
• Check the notarial certificate for compliance with state law, if there is one preprinted.
• Identify the document signer
• Confirm the signers' capacity to understand the document: Notaries can witness signatures even they are not familiar with the language on the document. However, they must be able to communicate with the signer.
• Administer the Oath/Affirmation or take the Acknowledgment
• Complete the Notarial Certificate by placing their signature, dating and sealing the document.

No problem. You can sign it again in the notary's presence and it will be OK for the notary to proceed as usual.