Duties of a Notary

Most adults will require the services of a notary at some point in their lifetimes. For many members of the public, the requirement that a document be "notarized" seems like an inconvenience, but society depends on notarizations to safeguard transactions.  A proper notarization has four primary benefits:

A notary or a notary public is a public officer, appointed by their state government, usually by the secretary of state, to serve the public as an impartial witness in taking acknowledgements, administering oaths and affirmations, and performing other acts authorized by law. Most states require a notary to perform notarial services as long as all legal requirements are met.

Millions of people are victims of identity theft every year, and this trend shows no sign of abating. Skilled criminals continually look for new, increasingly sophisticated ways to commit fraud. As a notary public, you are part of the first line of defense against identity theft. Your notary work is crucial to protecting yourself and the public from criminals.

Unfortunately, many families wait until tragedy strikes to get their state of affairs in order. Depending on the severity of the tragedy, it could be too late to use the services of a notary public.

A commissioner of deeds, like a notary public, is a public officer who can take acknowledgments and administer oaths. However, unlike notaries, commissioners of deeds can exercise their duties outside the state in which they are appointed, and their power is typically limited to authenticating documents intended to be used or recorded in the state of appointment.

Notaries are responsible for safeguarding their notary supplies and protecting them from fraudulent use. If your notary stamp is lost, you may have to appear before a court of law to prove that it was used fraudulently. When they are not in use, it is a good idea to keep your notary stamp and notary supplies in a locked drawer or cabinet, especially if you are an employee notary and conduct notary transactions at your place of business

Almost no one likes to do paperwork, especially if they don't have to do it. So, if you tell them that paperwork is not required, most people will be happy to believe you and skip it. When it comes to the notary journal, skipping the paperwork is not an option. Keeping a notary journal is required for the following reasons:

As stated in a previous article, sworn statements and acknowledged statements are the two most common types of notarized documents. The primary difference between the two types is that a sworn statement is made under penalty of perjury and requires an oath or affirmation while an acknowledged statement lacks these elements. If a document does not contain language about being duly sworn or upon oath, and if it has a notary certificate that does not mention an oath or affirmation or being sworn, then you are dealing with an acknowledged statement.

A notary public is an official witness to someone signing a document freely and willingly. "Freely and willingly" is one of those phrases that people use without really considering the meaning. This expression has been in use for so long that everyone thinks they know what it covers, but most people do not actually know.

A notary public is an official witness. To serve as an official witness, you must follow several important steps.

If you tell someone that you are a notary public, you can often expect that he or she will nod knowingly, as if fully aware of what that means. However, most people know only that a notary is "someone who stamps documents." Why those documents are stamped and what is involved in the process is not as well-known by the general public. Some people will admit that they don't know and will come right out and ask you, "What does a notary public do?" To answer that question, you have to first understand what a notary public IS.

A notary public is at the forefront of security, in that notaries can significantly reduce fraud and are often responsible for detection of fraudulent identification documents.