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Client Guide: Your Online Notary Appointment
- To ensure your document signing is legally binding and goes smoothly, please review this guide. A notary public’s primary role is to verify your identity and ensure you are signing of your own free will.
1. What You Need to Bring
Please have the following ready at the start of our session:
- Valid Government-Issued Photo ID: This is non-negotiable. Acceptable forms include:
- Valid Driver’s License or State ID
- U.S. Passport
- U.S. Military ID
- Foreign Passport (must be stamped by USCIS)
- The Complete Document: I cannot notarize a document that is missing pages or contains blank spaces. Please ensure the document is filled out entirely except for the signature and notary sections.
- All Required Signers: Every person whose signature needs notarizing must be physically present (or present via an approved remote platform, if pre-arranged).
2. Important "Don’ts"
- Do Not Sign Yet: I must witness you signing the document. If you sign it before we meet, I will have to ask you to sign it again on a fresh copy.
- Do Not Bring Expired IDs: Your identification must be current.
Note: As a Notary Public, I am not an attorney. I cannot draft legal documents, nor can I give legal advice on the effect or content of your documents
Reasons a Notary may refuse to notarize your document:
1. Issues with the Signer
- Lack of Proper ID: The signer cannot provide a valid, current, government-issued photo ID (or lacks "satisfactory evidence" of identity as defined by state law).
- Signer Not Present: The person is not physically in front of you (unless you are a Certified Remote Online Notary using an approved platform and following specific state protocols).
- Lack of Capacity: The signer appears disoriented, heavily medicated, intoxicated, or otherwise lacks the mental capacity to understand the nature and effect of the document they are signing.
- Coercion/Duress: You suspect the signer is being pressured, threatened, or forced to sign against their will.
- Language Barrier: You and the signer cannot communicate directly. Many jurisdictions require the notary and signer to speak the same language to ensure the signer understands the document and the notarial act.
2. Issues with the Document
- Incomplete Document: The document has blank spaces that should be filled in or is missing pages.
- No Notarial Certificate: The document lacks the proper certificate wording (e.g., Acknowledgment or Jurat), and the signer is unable or unwilling to choose which act they require. (Note: A notary cannot choose the act for the signer, as this constitutes legal advice).
- Vital Records: You are asked to certify a copy of a birth, death, or marriage certificate. In most states, only the official Custodian of Records can provide certified copies of these documents.
- Post-dating or Pre-dating: The signer asks you to record a date other than the actual date the act is being performed.
3. Issues with the Notary (Conflict of Interest)
- Personal Interest: You are named as a party in the document or will receive a direct financial or beneficial interest from the transaction (excluding the standard notary fee).
- Family Members: Notarizing for a spouse, parent, or child is often prohibited by law or considered a high-risk "best practice" to avoid claims of partiality.
- Unauthorized Act: The request involves something a notary is not legally authorized to do (e.g., providing legal advice, "notarizing a photograph," or preparing legal documents).
4. Other Valid Reasons
- Suspected Fraud: You have a reasonable suspicion that the transaction is illegal, deceptive, or fraudulent.
- Refusal to Pay: The signer refuses to pay the legally allowed notary fee.