FAQ About Notaries

A Notary Public is an official of integrity appointed by Secretary Of State — to serve the public as an impartial witness (duty-bound not to act in situations where they have a personal interest) in performing a variety of official fraud-deterrent acts related to the signing of important documents. These official acts are called notarizations, or notarial acts.

A Notary Signing Agent or NSA is a Notary who has special training to handle loan document signings. Title companies and signing services hire NSAs to deliver loan documents to borrowers, oversee the signing and return the documents.

Notarization does not guarantee that the information on a document is accurate or legal. The signer is responsible for the content of the document. The Notary Public simply certifies the signer’s identity, usually by verifying a current identifying document containing a photo, physical description, and signature.

NO State law strictly prohibits Notaries from the practice of law.  Notaries should never advise on any matter relating to a document unless they are an attorney or professionals certified or licensed in a relevant area of expertise.

The Notary Public laws require Notaries to take special precautions before notarizing documents:

• The document or form requiring notarization must be completely filled out. Notaries do not draw up documents or help you w/ filling out the document
• All signer(s) must be present at the time of the appointment
• All signer(s) must provide an original up to date photo I.D.(no copies or expired I.D.’s)
• The signer(s) must be of sound mind, alert, and mentally competent
• The signer must want to sign the document being notarized

Government issued photo IDs, such as driver’s licenses, state ID cards, passports, military IDs, and inmate IDs are sufficient for certification.

Social Security cards, birth Certificates, credit cards, immigration cards, and temporary driver’s licenses are not suitable for certification.