Important legal documents often need to be notarized, but very few people know what that actually means. As such, they often don’t know what the process of getting a document notarized entails or what’s needed for it.
Furthermore, the vast majority of people may not have heard of the many companies that allow you to notarize your documents. Such as Superior Notary Services.
This can be quite unfortunate, as getting this done is something that almost everyone will have to get done at one point or another.
This inevitably leads to a lot of stress, hassle and wasted energy when it comes to getting these documents notarized. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t avoid that.
By looking at a few key things and knowing exactly what you need, you’ll be able to get through the process without a headache.
What Are Notarized Documents?
A notarized document is essentially a document that has been verified by a notary public. This is someone who verifies the identities of everybody signing the document. Witnesses the signatures, and marks the document with a seal.
This can be done for a variety of different reasons, with the majority of them being for legal purposes.
Some of the more common examples of these include
- The likes of the deeds to a house
- A will
- A few other significant legal documents
Because of how essential they are in many areas, this can mean that almost everybody will need to have a document notarized at some point or another. With that in mind, it’s worth knowing what a notary public will look for when you go get a document notarized.
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What A Notary Public Will Look For
Because of the nature of a notarized document, a notary public will need to verify the identity of the person or persons, signing the document.
Furthermore, they’ll look for signs that everyone involved is a willing signatory who can make a rational decision.
Because of this, the first thing that you’ll need is a form of identification.
This will be needed by everyone involved and the notary public will take note of the identification used.
Many will also make photocopies of the I.D. so you shouldn’t be surprised if this is the case. Notary publics are also trained to look for signs of coercion and will look for them with every document that needs to be signed.
Lastly, they’ll also make sure that each signatory is in a fit state to make a capable decision in signing the document. This is also done to ensure that the signatory can fully understand what it is that they’re signing. Because of that, they’ll look for signs of whether someone is intoxicated, medicated or otherwise unable to make a fit decision then.
If they’re unable to sign the document, or if the notary public believes that something else is wrong, then they will refuse to notarize the document.
How To Get A Document Notarized
The process of getting a document notarized is quite simple. First, you’ll need some proper identification as we already mentioned above. This must include a photo of you. A driver’s license, passport, or other government-issued ID will typically do the trick. Having said that, the exact requirements may vary from state to state. With that in mind, it’s worth checking with your local state department. You should also wait to sign the document until you’re with the notary public. This is because the notary official must witness you signing the document.
You’ll also have to pay a small fee to have your document notarized. This is chiefly because a notary public needs to spend money to operate. For example, they need to keep an extensive amount of files, have to pay rent, pay bills, and more for their business. The vast majority of these services are relatively affordable. Some can even go as low as $5 per document so you should have no problem paying the fee.