Frequently Asked Questions

A notary public is an official authorized by the state to witness the signing of important documents, verify identities, and help prevent fraud.

No, a notary public cannot prepare legal documents or provide legal advice unless they are also a licensed attorney.

Yes, the person signing the document must appear in person before the notary to verify their identity and sign in their presence.

Notaries can notarize a variety of documents, including affidavits, contracts, real estate documents, wills, power of attorney forms, and more.

Notarization verifies identity and prevents fraud, but it does not make a document legally enforceable on its own.

Yes, a notary can refuse to notarize a document if the signer lacks proper identification, appears to be under duress, or if the document is incomplete.

No, we are strictly a mobile notary service. We drive to all of our clients to meet them at the most convenient time and location for them. 

A typical appointment takes between 10-15 minutes. Appointments can take longer if the documents are incomplete or if the signer does not have acceptable identification. 

The notary public can establish the identity of the signer using one of the following identification documents:

• Provided it is current or was issued within five years:

  • • An identification card or driver's license issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles;

    • A United States passport; 

    • 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 a local detention facility; or

• There is reasonable reliance on any one of the following forms of identification, provided that it also contains a photograph, description of the person, signature of the person, and an identifying number:

  • • A valid consular identification document issued by a consulate from the applicant's country of citizenship, or a valid passport from the applicant'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 (caution: current military identification cards might not contain all the required information);

    • An employee identification card issued by an agency or office of the State of California, or an agency or office of a city, county, or city and county in California.

    • An identification card issued by a federally recognized tribal government.

If you do not have valid ID at the time of your appointment, you can use TWO credible witnesses.  A credible witness is someone who personally knows the signer and can vouch for the signer's identity to the Notary.  The credible witnesses will need to provide their valid ID's and sign the Journal of Notarial Acts.

No, a Notary's role is to verify the identity of the document signer, that the signer is coherent and to ensure that the signer is not being forced or coerced into signing the document. As Notaries, we are tasked with:

• Verifying identities of signers

• Witnessing and notarizing signatures on legal documents

• Administering oaths and affirmations

• Certifying copies of certain documents