|
Featured
Article
Selected Articles From OC Business
Executives
What
is a Notary Public?
Article
by permission of Performance
Mobile Notary
What
a notary public does is witness the signing of
the documents and ask each party for a sworn oath
of authenticity. A notary (or a notary public)
is a person legally authorized by a state to administer
oaths, take acknowledgments & certify documents.
Perhaps
the most important duty of a notary public is
attesting to signatures on documents. A notary
public may also administer oaths in depositions
or other situations. The signature and seal/stamp
are evidence that the signature of the notary
is genuine and that the person is a notary public.
A
notary public must ensure that the person signing
a document to be notarized is who s/he says s/he
is. Because identities are critical, a notary
public may also spend some time verifying the
names of the parties
The
notary public verifies the person's identity,
usually done with a driver's license, presses
the notary seal on the document and signs it involved
in the signing.
The
notary public's seal shall either be a seal press
or a rubber stamp. These shall be the exclusive
property of the notary public. A notary public's
signature and seal is required to authenticate
the signatures on many legal documents.
Each
notary public shall have a seal of office, which
shall be affixed to his instruments of publications
and to his protestations. The term of office of
a notary public is four years commencing with
the effective date specified in the notarial commission.
The Office of the Secretary of State performs
background investigations on individuals submitting
new or renewal notary public applications.The
applicant cannot act as a Notary Public until
he receives his certificate of appointment from
this office. An appointed notary public may begin
notarizing documents after receipt of a certificate
of appointment from the Secretary of State.
Authentication
of a Notary Public's signature is often required
when foreign and other jurisdictions are involved.
The public may access this record and verify the
"official" signature of the notary at the county
clerk's office. If not, then a sample of the Notary's
signature and seal must first be authenticated
by the appropriate provincial authority responsible
for Notaries Public.
© Copyright 2006
Performance
Mobile Notary .
No unauthorized duplication without written consent.
|
