Millions of documents are notarized each year. The primary sources of these documents are lenders, companies, law firms, city government agencies, local private companies, foreign agencies, financial institutions, and other places. These documents vary from Power of Attorney, Release, and Waiver, Certificate of Identity, Sworn Statement, and many more.
What is the Purpose of Notarizing a Document?
The person who administers the notarization process is called a notary public. A notary public is a licensed individual authorized by the state to verify the identity of the signee, administer oath-taking, and witness the signing of a document.
Many believe that a notary public notarizes the document. Well, a notary public will say otherwise. They are not notarizing the document per se. Their function is to notarize and verify the signature(s) on the document. Only attorneys can validate and qualify the legality of any document or statement.
Going back to the question- why you get a document notarized? Find out more below.
#1 Identity Verification
The principal use of notarization is to verify the identity of the concerned parties.
Notarizing a document requires proof of identity from all the signees involved. Each person has to present a government ID, such as a driver's license and passport. This rule applies to all notaries, whether it is a traditional notary public or a mobile one. You can even view the website of how the notarization process works, and the requirements needed here.
The notary will then record the details of the identification documents of each individual.
#2 To Assure there is No Coercion
The document presented to a notary public is not signed. Once the notary verifies the identity of the person, he can then sign the document.
Aside from determining the authenticity of the signatures, notaries also look for signs of coercion. They won't administer the notarization if the person is showing signs that somebody is forcing them to do so. Therefore, only documents signed by free is notarized.
#3 To Ensure the Signer Truly Understand the Document
Notaries usually read the document to the signer and simplify what is stated in the paper. It is to assure that the signer or signers know the condition they're signing. And that they are capable of making sound decisions.
Notary publics will not notarize documents if the signer is intoxicated, medicated, or does not understand the situation.
How to Get a Document Notarized
In a nutshell, the purpose of notarizing signatures in a document is to prevent fraud. If there is no sign of fraudulent acts, coercion, and the identity of the party is established, then the notary will affix their stamp.
To notarize a document, you must present all the requirements, for example, government-issued IDs. Likewise, you'll have to bring the unsigned paper.
But before all that, you have to find a licensed notary public. If you are searching for a really fast service, the best bet is a mobile notary public.
Mobile notaries are convenient and eliminate all possible limitations of notarizing documents. The notary public will come to you to deliver services.
There's more you need to know about notarizing documents and mobile notaries. For additional details, go to this helpful site.