When do you need a notary public?

You need a notary public for real estate transactions, power of attorney documents, wills and trusts, business contracts, affidavits, vehicle title transfers, and medical directives. Any document that requires official certification of identity and voluntary signature typically requires notarization.

What does a notary do during a signing?

During a signing, a notary verifies your identity using a government-issued photo ID, confirms you are signing willingly and understand the document, witnesses your signature, and applies their official seal or stamp to certify the notarization.

What is the difference between a mobile notary and a traditional notary?

A traditional notary works from a fixed location such as a bank, law office, or shipping store. A mobile notary travels to the client's location — home, office, hospital, or any convenient place — to perform notarizations, typically charging a travel fee in addition to the standard per-signature fee.

What Is a Notary Public? What They Do and When You Need One

Q: What is a notary public?

A notary public is a state-commissioned official authorized to witness the signing of important documents, verify the identity of signers, and deter fraud. They serve as an impartial third party to confirm that the person signing a document is who they say they are and that they are doing so willingly.

A notary public is an official appointed by a state government to help prevent fraud when important documents are signed. A notary doesn't check whether a document is fair or legally correct. Their job is to confirm that the people signing are who they say they are, and that they're signing willingly.

What a notary actually does

When you bring a document to a notary, they will typically:

Check your identity using a current government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license or passport.
Make sure you understand what you're signing and aren't being pressured.
Watch you sign, or have you confirm that the signature already on the document is yours.
Complete a notarial certificate, sign it, and apply their official seal or stamp.
Record the notarization in a journal, where their state requires one.

The most common notarial acts

Acknowledgment: you confirm to the notary that you signed the document voluntarily. Common for deeds and powers of attorney.
Jurat: you swear or affirm that the contents of a document are true, then sign in front of the notary. Common for affidavits.
Oath or affirmation: a spoken promise that a statement is true.
Copy certification: some states let notaries certify that a copy matches the original.

What a notary can't do

Unless they are also a licensed attorney, a notary can't give legal advice, explain what a document means for you, or help you choose which form to use. A notary also can't notarize a document if they have a personal interest in it, and many states bar notarizing for close family members.

Types of notaries

Traditional notary: you visit them at a bank, shipping store or office.
Mobile notary: they travel to your home, office, hospital or care facility.
Remote online notary (RON): you meet by live video, in states that authorize remote notarization.
Loan signing agent: a notary trained to handle mortgage and refinance closing packages.

What to bring

Bring the complete, unsigned document (unless the notary tells you otherwise), a valid photo ID, and any other signers or witnesses the document requires.

Find a notary near you

MyNotaryAgents lists verified mobile, online and loan signing notaries across the United States. Search by ZIP code to find one near you.