The definition of a notary public is a person who has completed the training and who is licensed by the state they wish to practice in to witness signatures on documents, administer oaths and affirmations. The notary public may be asked to perform other duties as well. A document that is notarized helps assure that the document is not a forgery. It also helps to prove that the person who is signing the document was signing voluntarily.

A notary public provides many acts. One of the most common acts is completing an acknowledgement certificate. An acknowledgment may be required by official documents such as a contract or a deed. This is to guarantee that the person who is name on the document is the person who is signing it and is not being forced to sign. The person is signing voluntarily. A notary will not notarize a document unless the signer is appearing personally in front of him. It is the notary’s job to be sure that the signer is not being forced to sign the document. The signer must also show proof that he is the person whose name appears on the document.

A notary provides many services. One of the other services that is offered is to complete a jurat certificate. The are often legal documents like an affidavit or a deposition that a jurat will need to sign. The documents must be signed under oath or affirmation. In order for a jurat to be notarized the document and the signer much appear in person before a notary. The notary will require the person to swear or affirm that the statements in the document are true. While in front of the notary the person must sign the document. In some states it might also be required that the notary confirm the identification of the signer.

There are also services that can be offered that are not as common as acknowledgements or jurats. One of the services is to certify that a copy of a legal document is a accurate reproduction of the original. Examples of these documents could be diplomas, passports, licenses or other documents such as birth and death certificates. This can be a difficult task because the notary is required to compare the original document to the copy and be sure that the copy is an accurate reproduction of the original.

Depending on what state the notary practices in there could be additional services that the notary will be required to perform. A good example of one of these services could be that a vehicle title needs to be notarized before the transfer to someone else can take place. Other states may require that if a owner of a safe deposit box does not make their payments that the contents of the safe deposit box must be notarized. Another good example of an additional service provided is only in the states of Florida, Maine, and South Carolina. In these three states, a notary is allow to perform marriage ceremonies.

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What are some of the notary practices you most commonly perform?

By Casey Likeness