What Is A Notary Public?

So just what exactly is a Notary, and what do they do? Well a Notary is a Public Official of integrity duly sworn &  commissioned by the Governor of the State. They serve the public as an impartial witness in performing a variety of official fraud-deterrent acts related to the signing of important documents Like Mortgage loans,etc.

Other Notarial acts include matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business. A notary’s main functions are to administer jurats, oaths and affirmations, take affidavits and declarations as well as authenticate the execution of certain classes of documents, take acknowledgments of deeds and other conveyances, protest notes and bills of exchange, provide notice of foreign drafts, and perform marriages as a Wedding Officiant.

Notaries carry a stamp (or seal) with the commission number unique to them by the state. This seal is much like a badge. If stolen or missing must be reported to the state. Likewise anyone misusing the notaries stamp is committing a crime. In short anywhere you may see a form with an indication it needs to be sealed or ‘signed before’ is a good indication you need a Notary. While a notary is not an attorney and can’t provide legal advice they are performing legal services and affixing a seal to legal documents usually drafted by attorneys.

Good news is, in this modern day of the internet you can usually acquire a good many legal forms (like Power of Attorney) for very low cost or even free. Having access to this can save a small fortune in legal fees, that then only need a rather affordable notarization to be in effect.