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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
In the United States of America, Notary Public (the Notary) is a state government appointed official to provide notary or notarization services to the general public.
The Notary is at least 18 years of age, and a legal resident of the state in which he or she is commissioned. In addition, the Notary has completed satisfactorily the education requirements and passed the written examination approved by the Secretary of State. Finally, the Notary must pass a background check and take, subscribe, and file an oath of office and surety bond with the county clerk’s office.
Besides the legal requirements, general public can expect the Notary to possess the qualities of impartiality, morality, decency, trust, and integrity in order to carry out the designated and entrusted duties and responsibilities.
In the civilized society, important information such as records, rights, rules, laws, interests, transactions, terms, duties and responsibilities are recorded on paper to establish the fundamental evidence related to single or multiple parties. Examples: Contracts and Agreements. In general, such documents would require the signatures of the intended party or parties to complete the record.
Such signature requirement raises the potential problems of authenticity, capability, availability, willingness, and location of the intended parties. In many cases, it is impractical or nearly impossible to have all parties to meet at the same time and same location to complete the document signings. Notary Public service is an affordable and convenient solution to address such issues of the legitimacy of the signers and signatures, and the reliability of the documents. It is the core duty of the Notary to verify the signers’ identities, witness the signers’ signatures, and certify the signatures in the documents are genuine, so the public can rely on the quality of the notarized documents.
Notarization or notarial act, is the process Notary carries out to ensure the name appears on the document for signature is signed by the same person appears before the Notary.
Notary Public implements such process primarily to deter fraud or identity theft by assuring that the person signs the document is who the person claims he or she is.
In general, the Notary goes through the following steps to complete the notarization process.
- Signer of the document must present valid personal identification documents and appears before the Notary.
- The Notary visually examines the document to ensure there are no missing information, blank spaces, blank lines, and alterations in the document prior to the notarization.
- The Notary verifies the identity of the signer.
- The Notary ensures the signer understands the document he or she is signing, and acts on his or her own free will without duress or intimidation.
- The Notary witnesses and validates the signer’s signature to ensure the signature is genuine.
- The Notary records all the key details of the notarial act in the Notary’s active journal for record-keeping purpose.
- The Notary completes the notarization process by issuing and attaching the Notarial Certificate with the Notary’s signature and seal of office.
To ensure a smooth signing experience, we advise our clients to prepare the following:
1. Confirm the appointment
We will attempt to confirm the signing appointment with customers within 24 hours of the scheduled appointment. If you would like to change or cancel the appointment for any reasons, please contact your assigned notary immediately. (At least 2 hours before the scheduled appointment)
2. Review the documents
We cannot notarize incomplete documents. We advise customers to fill-in, cross out or mark “N/A” on any incomplete fields in the documents. It is very important that customers bring all the pages of the documents to the notary, not just the signing page. Nevertheless, we suggest customers not to sign or date the documents in the absence of the notary.
3. Proper Identification
Besides bringing the documents, all signers and any required witness(es) are required to present their valid identification documents at the signing. We cannot proceed with the notarization without the proper ID.
See the list of “Acceptable Personal Identification Documents” in the next FAQ question.
In general, the acceptable identification documents must be original, (Photocopies are not acceptable) current or issued within the last five years, and such documentations must contain a photograph, physical description, a signature of the person, and bear a serial or identifying number.
The Notary relies on one the following identification documents to establish the identity of the signer:
- An original identification card or driver’s license issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles
- An original United States passport issued by the United States Department Of State
- An inmate identification card issued by the California Department Of Corrections and Rehabilitation (if the inmate is in custody in California state prison)
- Any form of inmate identification issued by a Sheriff’s Department (if the inmate is in custody in local detention facility)
- A valid passport issued by the holder’s country of citizenship
- A valid consular ID document issued by a consulate from the holder’s country of citizenship
- A driver’s license issued by another state or by a Canadian or Mexican public agency authorized to issue driver’s licenses
- An identification card issued by another state
- A United States military identification card issued by any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States
- An employee identification card issued by an agency or office of a city, county, or the State of California
- An identification card issued by a federally recognized tribal government
NOTE 1: Temporary driving permit or driver’s license, international driver’s license, birth certificate, social security card, and credit cards are NOT acceptable forms of identifications.
NOTE 2: The signer’s name on the I.D must match or be longer than the name on the document being signed and notarized.
The notarization requirement of any documents usually suggests the contents of the documents are important related to the holders or custodians of the notarized documents. For example, legal, governmental, financial, and personal related forms, statements, etc.
- Power of attorney
- Affidavit
- Sworn Statement
- Declaration
- Marital Settlement Agreement
- Premarital Agreement or Pre-nuptial Agreement
- Copy Certification By Document Custodian
- Living Trust
- Trust Certification
- Revocable Trust Amendment
- Advance Health Care Directive
- Grant Deed, Quitclaim Deed, Deed of Trust
- Loan Documents (Purchase, Refinance Mortgages)
- U.S. Passport Application for Minor Under Age 16 (Statement Of Consent From Second Parent Form DS-3053)
- Parental Consent Form for Minors Traveling
- Application for Certified Copy of Birth Record
- Application for Certified Copy of Death Record
- Notice of Transaction
- Patent and Trademark Assignment
- Inheritance Abandonment Statement
- Gift Property Announcement
- Domestic or International Property Transfer Agreement
- Rental Agreement
- Direct Rollover Form
- Contracts and more…
NOTE: We do not notarize incomplete documents. All documents must be completed before notarization (except the signatures).
SOS are in full compliance with the California Government Code 8211 related to fees charged by a notary public. Please refer to our Services & Fees page for more information.
As a notary, we DO NOT prepare, draft, select or determine any legal documents, or give advice related to any legal documents or matters. SOS are not attorney, lawyer or a law firm, and we DO NOT provide legal advice.
Apostille is an authentication certification service offered by the State Department to authenticate the seals and signatures of the public officials on public or private documents for use outside the United States. In California, the California Secretary of State provides an Apostille to authenticate California public officials’ seals and signatures (Such as notary public) on documents to be used in foreign countries that are members of the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961. Member List here.
Foreign nations that are not part of the Hague Apostille Convention may require additional authentication certification issued by their local embassy or consul.
Serving the public with their best interest is one of our priorities. To better serve a customer, we would refer leads from other communities to notaries and interpreters serving them locally. We highly encourage notaries and interpreters in good standings to join us for referral businesses.