A Notary Public is an official appointed by a state government to serve the public as an impartial witness during notarizations. As ministerial officials, they are expected to follow statutory rules without the exercise of significant personal discretion.
Notaries Public certify the proper execution of many of the life-changing documents of private citizens — whether those transactions convey real estate, grant powers of attorney, establish a prenuptial agreement, or perform the multitude of other activities that enable our civil society to function.
Notaries perform notarizations, or notarial acts, to deter fraud and establish that the signer understands the document they’re signing and that they’re a willing participant in the transaction.
There are two primary responsibilities of Notaries: 1) Validate the signer’s identity and 2) Confirm the signer’s willingness and awareness to sign the document or complete the transaction.
Identifying the Signer
Generally, a Notary will ask for a current form of identification that has a photo, physical description and signature. Acceptable IDs usually include a driver’s license or passport.
Confirming Willingness and Awareness
Notaries will confirm both the signer’s willingness to sign the document and their awareness of its implications. On occasion, Notaries encounter individuals who are being forced to sign a document or whose health condition impairs their decision-making abilities. This is why Notaries are essential to preserving the public trust, as they ensure the integrity of documents while protecting the rights of all parties involved.
Some notarizations require the Notary to put the signer under an oath, declaring under penalty of perjury that the information contained in a document is true and correct.
Different Types of Notary Jobs
Every Notary begins with a traditional commission, but they can branch out to provide specialized services. Below are the different types of Notary jobs you may want to consider:
- Traditional Notary: Notary who qualifies for a commission in their state and has met the state’s application requirements.
- Mobile Notary: Traditional Notary who travels to the signer’s preferred location, such as the signer’s home or hospital.
- Remote Online Notary (RON): Notary with a traditional commission who has met their state’s requirements to become authorized to perform remote notarizations.
- Notary Signing Agent (NSA): Notary with a traditional commission who has also passed a background screening to comply with industry standards and handle loan signings.
While every type of Notary Public shares the same core duties, the format of the documents they notarize and the location where the transaction occurs are the biggest differences between them. As a notary public for 10+ years, I think I’ve used my commission is as many ways as can possibly be used over the years. From simple notarizations to more complex notarizations requiring witnesses and notarizations for loan closure documents (which require a skill set and knowledge that comes with experience), officiating for weddings, completing VIN verifications, fingerprinting, mobile notarizations, electronic notarizations, copy certificate notarizations etc, I’ve learned alot about the proper way to use my commission and met so many interesting people along the way. I’ve been lucky enough to work with people in need of both personal business documents notarized, and also apostilled. I’ve come across some situations in which I was unsure about the legality of what I was being asked to do, and used the National Notary Association to clarify for me in order to keep my commission in good standing. I understand why it’s so important to keep up with updated notary laws throughout the United States because I work with many clients within the state of Florida, as well as in other states, and also with people throughout the world. It’s important to make sure that the notary who notarizes documents for you is in good standing with the state that holds their commission and that the person is follows the laws governed by the state.
Mindy Strum is a Certified Apostille Agent with 10+ years as a notary public in the state of Florida. Florida Notary Public, LLC DBA Apostille FLA provides apostille services from each state and the USDOS.
