WHAT IS A CALIFORNIA MOBILE NOTARY PUBLIC?

A California Notary Public is a person of proven integrity appointed by the California Secretary of State to serve the public as an impartial witness in confirming identity, taking acknowledgements, administering oaths and affirmations, and performing other acts authorized by law. The Notary Public does not give legal advice, complete documents, or verify that the documents are true or legally binding. The California Notary Public only verifies the person’s identity. A mobile notary public provides an affordable and convenient alternative to an office appointment and will come to you. A California Mobile Notary Public will travel to your home, place of business or other convenient meeting spot!

WHY ARE DOCUMENTS NOTARIZED?

To provide a deterrent to fraud. As an impartial witness, the Notary Public ensures that the signer(s) of document(s) are who they say they are and are not impostors. The Notary makes sure that signer(s) have entered into agreement(s) knowingly and willingly, are of sound mind, present proper identification, and will administer an oath, when required.

WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR A DOCUMENT TO BE NOTARIZED?

Proof of Identification of the signer

For a document to be notarized, it must contain:

1. text committing the signer in some way

2. an original signature (not a photocopy) of the document signer

3. a notarial "certificate" which may appear on the document itself or on all attachments. The Notary fills in the certificate, signs it, then applies their seal to complete the notarization.

MAY A CALIFORNIA NOTARY PUBLIC GIVE LEGAL ADVICE OR DRAFT LEGAL DOCUMENTS?

Absolutely not. A California Notary Public is forbidden from preparing legal documents for others or acting as a legal advisor unless he or she is also an attorney. Violators can be fined and/or jailed for the unauthorized practice of law.

DO I HAVE TO APPEAR PERSONALLY FOR NOTARIZATION OF MY DOCUMENTS?

Yes. In California, the signer must personally appear before the Notary at the time of notarization with proper identification. A California Notary Public cannot perform notarial services online. Remote Online Notarizations (RON) via webcam are invalid and illegal. In California, the signing party(ies) must be physically present before the notary public.

CAN A DOCUMENT THAT CONTAINS BLANKS BE NOTARIZED?

No. A California notary public cannot notarize a document that is incomplete or contains blanks.

DOES A NOTARIZATION MEAN THAT A DOCUMENT IS "TRUE" OR "LEGAL"?

No. A California Notary Public is not responsible for the accuracy or legality of documents they notarize. A California Notary can only certify the identity of signers. The signers are responsible for the content of the documents.

MAY A CALIFORNIA NOTARY PUBLIC PREPARE OR NOTARIZE AN I-9 FORM OR OTHER IMMIGRATION DOCUMENTS?

Only a few immigration forms need to be notarized, such as the Affidavit of Support (1-134), but U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) regulations state that no one may prepare or file another person's immigration papers unless he or she is an attorney or a U.S. Justice Department-approved "accredited representative." Non-attorneys can provide clerical, secretarial or translating assistance with INS forms, as long as no advice is given. However, courts have held that even the selection of which forms to complete can constitute the practice of law, since the filing of INS forms creates legal consequences having a substantial impact on the applicant.