What Is a Mobile Notary, and How Do I Become One?

A mobile notary is any notary who, upon request, travels from location to location to perform notarial services. While a mobile notary may perform any type of notarial service prescribed by his or her state's statutory laws, it is more common that mobile notaries are called upon to perform various types of real estate or mortgage transactions. Hence, the mobile notaries who perform such services are often called notary signing agents or mortgage signing agents. They are distinguished from loan closers who, in most states, have more complex duties than a commissioned notary public.

These scheduled real estate transactions are ordered by lenders, title companies or mortgage notary signing agencies. In order to perform the assigned duties adequately, it is mandatory and prudent for the notary to undergo further training in addition to any training or studies that he or she received to learn the basic notary skills. Mortgage transactions and loan signings involve very specific types of documents that must be handled carefully and executed properly, so precise training in identifying loan documents and understanding the function of each is necessary.

Once training has been received in the execution of loan documents and the notary feels comfortable and confident that he understands and can explain the purpose of each type of loan document, then he should make himself known and available to the parties and institutions named above who will use his services. Marketing your new skills is an important part of becoming a mobile notary; you may wish to create your own personal website or construct business cards to promote yourself. As a mobile notary, you are now considered an "independent contractor," and while you may be "hired" by lenders and various agencies, you are responsible for paying your own taxes out of any compensation received.

There is minimal compensation for the day-to-day services that notaries provide as public officers; a mobile notary profession is a means of taking your notarial skills to a higher, more profitable level.