FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions
A notary public is an official of integrity by the state government, typically by the Secretary of State, to serve the public as an impartial witness to verify the identity of the document signer with proper identification to prevent fraud. A notary public performs copy certifications, administers oaths, and affirmations.
A mobile notary public can perform a variety of notarization services, including:
Administering an oath or affirmation - Allowing the person to make a formal declaration that they are telling the truth.
Acknowledgement - A formal statement made by a person acknowledging that they have signed a document of their own free will. The notary public can take an acknowledgement of the document and notarize it.
Jurat - A statement made by a person under oath or affirmation that they have read a document and that the contents of the document are true to the best of their knowledge. The notary public can perform a jurat and notarize it.
Copy Certification - A notary public can certify that a copy of a document is a true and accurate copy of the original (Power of Attorney only). For copy certification for other documents, a signer may write a statement about the document and sign it. Then, the notary can notarize the signature by proving the identity of the signer as in an acknowledgement or have the signer sear what they wrote in the statement is true with a jurat.
Deposition Services - A service that involves the notarization of deposition transcripts during a legal proceeding. The notary’s role in this process is to verify the identity of the witness and to confirm that the transcript is an accurate and complete record of the testimony given by the witness. The notary may also administer an oath to the witness, requiring the witness to swear or affirm that the testimony given in the specific deposition is true and accurate.
For the State of California, you will need to present a valid government-issued identification (ID) to a notary public to have a document notarized. Acceptable forms of identification must contain a photograph, signature, and physical description.
An identification card or driver’s license issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles
A United States Passport
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
Note: All these ID cards must be either current or issue within the last 5 years
Other acceptable forms allowed provided it contains a photograph, description of the person, signature of the person, and an identifying number:
Valid consular identification document issued by a consulate from the applicant’s country of citizenship, or a valid passport.
Driver’s license issued by another state or by a Canadian or Mexican public agency
Identification card issued by another state
United States Military identification card
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
Note: Since a Mexican Passport provides a gender description (male/female), it qualifies as a primary form of identification.
If you do not have a current, valid ID such as a Driver's License or Passport, you can do one of two things:
You may be identified on the oath or affirmation of one credible witness personally known to the notary or;
Two credible witnesses, unknown to the notary, but each needs to know the signer.
A credible witness will need to present a valid state-approved ID to the notary and must not have any financial interest or be named in the document.
A notary signing agent (NSA) has a certification and extended training specializing in real estate transactions that a general mobile notary public does not. Typically, NSA's are hired by mortgage, escrow, or title companies to notarize documents related to mortgage loans. They are highly trained in understanding all real estate loan closings for home refinances, home purchases, or home equity lines of credit. The notary signing agent will review, prepare, and print documents to meet with the signers to verify their identity, witness their signatures and ensure that all documents are complete and accurate.
Signature by mark allows a signer to sign a document by making a mark typically a X rather than writing their signature as they are unable to write or may have difficulty writing due to a physical disability.
The mark requires two witnesses to observe and sign the document. One of the witnesses must write the signer’s name next to the mark, provide an ID and also sign the notary journal.