What does a notary public do?

What a notary public does is witness the signing of the documents and ask each party to take an oath of authenticity. A notary license holder is a person legally authorized by a state to administer oaths, take acknowledgments, and certify documents. A notary will not exercise any power or jurisdiction in criminal cases.

A notary must ensure that the person signing a document to be notarized is who they say they are. Because identities are critical, a notary public may also spend some time verifying the names of the parties involved in the signing.

A common misconception about a notary’s license is that its official signature and/or raised seal automatically makes a document ‘true and legal’. Documents certified by public notaries are sealed with the notary’s seal and recorded by the notary public in a register that he keeps.

The license holder’s stamp shall be a press stamp or rubber stamp. These will be the exclusive property of the notary. Your signature and seal are required to authenticate signatures on many legal documents. They then verify the person’s identity, usually with a driver’s license, press the seal on the document and sign it.

If you are an inpatient, you can also ask your nurse or unit clerk to arrange for a notary public at no charge. Also, mailbox stores, copy services, and banks often provide notary services to the public.

Authentication of a notary public’s signature is often required when dealing with foreign and other jurisdictions. The public can access this record and verify the notary’s “official” signature at the county clerk’s office. Otherwise, a sample of the Notary’s signature and seal must first be authenticated by the relevant provincial authority responsible for Notaries Public.

Each license holder will have a stamp of his office, which will be affixed to his instruments of publication and to his protests. The mandate is usually four years from the effective date specified in the notarial commission. The Secretary of State’s Office conducts random background checks on individuals who file new or renewed notary public license applications. The applicant cannot act as a Notary Public until he receives his certificate of appointment from this office. A designated licensee may begin certifying documents after receiving a certificate of appointment from the Secretary of State.