Notaries

Are you in need of services from a notary New York City? Many people are not too familiar with all of the services that a notary public provides. Most people are aware that notaries stamp documents but are not very familiar with what documents are stamped and all of the things that are involved in the overall process. In this article we will be discussing what a notary public is and what services they provide.

A notary public is a professional official witness for a willing and free signing of one or multiple documents by one or more individuals. The notary verifies the identity of all of the individuals involved. Usually the documents are signed in the presence of the notary. However, in some situations, the documents are first signed and then the signer brings them to the notary public.

The following duties are performed by notaries public:

1. Verify the signer(s) identity who are appearing before them.

2. Converse with the signer(s) enough to be reasonably certain they are signing the document(s) willingly and freely.

3. Witness the document(s) being signed by the signer(s).

4. If the document requires it, administer an oath to all signer(s).

5. Verify the the document contains all notary-specific elements, add any missing elements, complete any incomplete elements, and correct any incorrect elements.

6. Sign the document in the designated notary signature area.

7. Add their official seal to the document (when required by the state).

8. The notary public in many states records the details of whatever notary act she or he has just completed within a notary journal. The person(s) who signed the document will then be asked to sign the journal as well. Notaries also will need to get the signer’s thumbprint for their journal in some states. Even in states that don’t require a notary journal to be used, maintaining one is still considered to be best practice.

The main purpose of notary activities is to provide a document with added trust. Notarization demonstrates that a document has been executed in a way that binds all parties whose names are on it. A notarized document is evidence that the individuals who have signed the document authorize what the document states it authorizes or they will do what it says they will do.

It is standard in all U.S. states for notaries public to be official witnesses. A notary public in some states might have the authority as well to officiate at weddings and/or certify copies.