A Notary Public is an official of integrity that is appointed by a state government to verify the authenticity of transactions. The primary objective of notarial acts is to deter fraud by witnessing the signing of important documents and verifying the identity of the person that is signing the document.
The notary public will also verify that the signer is willing to sign the document, that they are aware of what they are doing, and that they understand the content of the document that they are signing. The official fraud deterring acts relating to the signing of documents that notaries perform are called notarial acts.
Notarial Services
The most common notarial services relate to the administration of oaths and affirmations. Other responsibilities include taking statutory declarations and affidavits, protesting notes and bills of exchange, providing notice of foreign drafts, and taking acknowledgments of deeds and other conveyances.
The most common documents that require notarial verification include but are not limited to the following:
- Contracts
- Trusts
- Licenses
- Loan documents
- Powers of attorney
- Deeds
- Estates
- Affidavits
Finding a Notary Public
To have a document notarized, you need to find a notary public. It’s not entirely necessary to look for reputable notary publics as their services are standard and prescribed by law. For the sake of convenience, however, you may want to search for traveling notaries, such as Barrister Support Services Portland, or download an app that allows you to notarize your document online.
Below are some other places that you may find a notary public.
Your Work
If you work for a large company, chances are that administrative assistants or other staff can notarize your documents. The benefits of asking a notary public that works with you are that they will likely do it for free.
Your Bank
Banks typically have several notary publics on standby to notarize documents for clients. Usually, the notary public will be a branch manager. A bank can also furnish you with a medallion guarantee, which is similar to a notarial verification, but with more requirements.
Library
Public libraries often have notary publics, and, in many cases, these services are free to the public. Not all libraries offer these services, however, and if they do it may only be on specific days.
Your Network
One of the easiest ways to find a notary public is to head over to your social media accounts and ask your contacts if any of them can provide you with notarial services. If you know someone who regularly works with legal documentation, there is a chance that they may be a notary public.
If you are a member of the AAA, a branch near you may offer you notarial services for free.
Online Search
Searching, “notary public” is perhaps one of the easiest ways to get in touch with someone that can help you. If you live in a smaller town, the services of a traveling notary may be your most convenient and quickest option.
