A notary public is a public official appointed by a state government to serve as an impartial witness to the signing of important documents.
Notaries are responsible for verifying the identities of the signatories and making sure they are signing voluntarily and without duress.
Some of the documents that a notary public may witness and notarize include wills, deeds, powers of attorney, contracts, and affidavits. Notaries may also administer oaths and affirmations and certify copies of official documents.
The duties and responsibilities of a notary public vary by state, but in general, they are authorized to witness the signing of documents and to provide an official seal or stamp to indicate that the document has been properly notarized.
Notaries play an important role in preventing fraud and protecting the integrity of legal documents.
Some notaries public go a step further to take a loan signing agent certification that allows them to walk borrowers through mortgage documents.
We wrote a blog post about it here, and we even included the checklist for how to become a loan signing agent below.
It has the first steps you need to take to become a notary public (specifically in the state of California, but can be translated to your state).
What does a notary do?
The main duties of a notary public include:
Verifying the identities of the signatories: A notary public must confirm the identities of the individuals signing the document by checking their government-issued identification documents, such as a passport or driver’s license.
Ensuring that the signatories are signing voluntarily and without duress: A notary public must ensure that the signatories are not being coerced or forced to sign the document against their will.
Certifying the document has no blank spaces: A notary public must review the document to ensure it contains no blank spaces that could be filled in later.
Administering oaths and affirmations: A notary public may also administer oaths and affirmations to individuals who are required to make sworn statements in certain legal proceedings.
Notarizing the document: Once the notary public has verified the identities of the signatories, ensured that they are signing voluntarily, and certified the content of the document, they will add their official seal or stamp to the document to indicate that it has been properly notarized.
***In CA it is not the responsibility of the notary to ensure that it is accurate, complete, and does not contain any false or misleading information. Always research the laws that are applicable to your state.***
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