Notarization Requirements

The signer(s) being notarized must be present at the time of the notarization.

One of the primary duties of a notary public is to verify the signer’s identity to prevent fraud and forgeries. This is particularly important for sensitive financial documents like grants and wills.

And the only way to do that is to require a certified form of identification as a part of the notarization process.

The signer(s) must have photo ID that covers the names shown on the document (for example, if your middle name is spelled out on the document, it must be spelled out on your photo ID). The ID can have more than the document, just not less.

And to make things a bit more complicated, acceptable forms of identification for notaries varies depending on the notary’s state of commission.

As a general rule, your ID should have certain common elements:

• • • Your photo
  • • The issuing authority
  • • Your Signature
  • • A description of your person (e.g. weight, hair, eyes, sex, etc.)

You must have the document that is being notarized. A True Notary Service notary is not permitted to draft documents or provide legal documents. We can, however, print the document for you that you email to us (see Pricing in Payment section).

Note: Please try to print the documents at least 1 hr before the True Notary Service Mobile Notary arrives, so that you have time to warn us if you have trouble printing and to give you time to proofread the document, especially making sure the name on the document is spelled correctly and checked against the signer’s ID.

The ID can have more of the name than what is on the document, but not less. It is okay to use a commonly known nickname on your documents, like Jim for James (where “James” is on the ID, but document says “Jim”).

We cannot notarize incomplete documents with incomplete blank lines (that you don’t have the information for) in the text above your signature line or just the last “signature page” without the rest of the document present.

All signers need to be competent to sign and be fully alert and be able to prove to the notary that they understand the contents being signed. Nodding is not sufficient. If the signer cannot speak, then he or she will need to be able to write out complete sentences to questions like: “Please explain what a Power of Attorney is or does?”

We cannot notarize someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia or someone on medication that makes the signer extremely drowsy. You may need to go to court to be able to take over the signing responsibilities for someone if signing a document such as a Power of Attorney cannot be notarized because of these issues. We not notarize incomplete documents with incomplete blank lines (that you don’t have the information for) in the text above your signature line or just the last “signature page” without the rest of the document present.

Each signer needs to be able to explain what he or she is signing in English directly to the notary, without a translator. It is not a problem if the document is in a foreign language, but the notary wording that we sign has to be in English or we can provide the notary wording on a stamp.

The signer needs to be able to sign in a way that resembles a signature, even if no longer looks like the original signature on an ID. If the signer can only make some kind of small mark or “x” on the signature line, then that is considered “signature by mark” and it adds additional layers of complexity that we are, unfortunately, not set up to handle.

Please try to print your documents at least an hour before our appointment in case there is a problem with the printing (so there is time to fix it or run to a FedEx or Office Depot) and to give you time to proofread the document (especially the names of the signers). Thanks.