What Identification do you accept?

An unexpired Driver’s License or State Issued Identification card issued by a State or Territory of the United States.

An unexpired United States Passport issued by the United States Department of State.

An unexpired United States Military Identification Card that is issued by any branch of the United States Armed Forces.

Inmate identification card issued by the Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation, if the signer is in custody.

Any other unexpired identification card that is issued by the United States Government or a State or Tribal Government that contains the individuals photograph, signature, a physical description & Identifying number.

How can I prepare for a notary appointment?

All individuals on documents to be signed and notarized are to be PRESENT at signing and must have PROPER IDENTIFICATION. Have acceptable, Unexpired, Government issued, Photo ID available. (a copy or photograph of ID is not permitted)

All individuals on documents to be notarized are to be present at signing.

Documents) to be notarized are prepared, printed & assembled with no blanks.
Name on document is required to match the name on ID.
Signature(s), Date & Notarial Certificate area left blank

Signer is awake & aware, is not mentally impaired, understands document to be signed.

Credible witnesses (if needed) They will be required to present unexpired, government issued, photo ID, sign & submit their thumbprint in the notaries’ journal.

What if a person’s ID is expired?

If you do not have acceptable, unexpired identification, you may be identified by either one or two credible identifying witnesses who must produce acceptable, government issued ID>

The witnesses) may not have an interest in document to be signed, related to by blood or marriage, or be named in the document.

Two credible identifying witnesses are required if neither of them are personally known by the Notary.

The witnesses must personally know you and take an oath attesting to your identity, have valid, unexpired, government issued, photo ID, have their ID verified & will be required to sign in the notaries’ journal.

What is a notary public’s duty?

A Notary’s duty is to confirm and verify the true identity of a person signing an important document, as well as their willingness

to sign without duress or intimidation, and their awareness of the contents of the document or transaction.

Some notarizations require the Notary to have the signer take an oath, and swear under penalty of perjury that the information contained in a document is true and correct.

Impartiality is the foundation of the duties of a Notary Public. Notaries are duty-bound not to act in situations in which they have a personal interest. The public trusts that the Notary has properly screened the signer, and that the Notary has not been

corrupted by self-interest.

My document is missing an area for the notary, what do I do?

1. Contact the entity or legal advisor requesting document to find out which notarial certificate is required.

2. The signer can choose which certificate, however, if the wrong notary certificate is chosen for the document being notarized, it may render the document invalid.

Acknowledgements

An acknowledgement is used to verify the identity of the signer and to confirm that they signed the document. They are not swearing to the truthfulness or validity of the document, they are simply acknowledging that they signed the document.

Jurats

A jurat is used when the signer is swearing to the content of the document. The notary must administer an oath or affirmation to the signer in order to complete the jurat. A jurat also requires that the signer signs in the presence of the notary. It is possible to glean this information from the jurat certificate its self. The wording states “Subscribed and sworn to before me…” – subscribed meaning “signed” and sworn meaning that an oral oath or affirmation was given. “Before me” means that both were done in the presence of the notary public.

While it is important for a notary to understand the difference between the two, Texas notaries public are not allowed to determine which type of certificate a signer uses. To do so would be considered practicing law without a license. A Notary can only ask the signer which form they prefer; if they don’t know, the notary will refer them to the originator of the document for an answer. It is the responsibility of the person(s) requesting the notarization to choose which notarial certificate is needed.

How much will it cost?

It depends on type of document, how many signers, witnesses, how many notary stamps, etc.

What kind of payments do you accept?

We accept Apple Pay, Venmo, Zelle, and Cash.

May a Notary Public prepare, provide a document or give advice?

No. This is for the safety of the consumer. A Notary Public is not an attorney, they are not permitted by law to assist a signer to draft, prepare or fill-in documents.