What To Know About Receiving Notary Public Services
If you are in need of notary public services and this is not something that you have ever needed in the past, you might not know what to expect. To help you prepare for such services, you will want to spend a few minutes reviewing the following information:
Have The Documents Ready
The notary is going to expect that you have all of the documents ready to be signed and notarized. They are not attorneys, so they cannot review the documents for you in order to spot errors or to give you legal advice regarding what is about to be signed. You will want to have your own lawyer look over the papers before you arrive at the notary public's office.
Everyone Must Be There
All parties that are expected to sign the documents must be present in front of the notary. Do not have anyone sign anything in advance, even if they still plan on going to the appointment. All signatures must be done right in front of the notary, as this is how they confirm that the signatures are from who they are supposed to be from.
Bring Your Identification
It is important to make sure that every person that is expected to sign has a government-issued form of identification. This could be a driver's license or a state ID. The notary will compare the signatures on the document with the signatures on the government identification cards. This is to ensure that there is not any fraud taking place. This also helps protect the parties involved should one or the other later decide to try to dispute the agreement that was made between everyone. Once they confirm that the signatures are authentic, they will place their seal on the document.
The Notary Fee
Notary fees will vary from one notary to the next. While there are base fees that are usually charged, independent or traveling notaries can set their own rates. You will want to call to confirm what their fee is before your appointment. They generally ask for their payment at the beginning of the appointment, before signatures are done, to ensure they are paid before they provide their service. Clarify if they take checks, debit cards, or cash so you can be prepared.
As you can see, while there are some key things you need to remember about going to get a document notarized, it should be an easy enough process. Once you have it done once, you will have no worries about what needs to be done for your future notary needs.