What is a Notary Public?
A Notary Public is a public servant
appointed by the State to act as an
impartial witness in taking
acknowledgments, administering oaths and
affirmations, and performing other acts
authorized by state law. Notaries lend
credibility to the authenticity of
certain sensitive signed documents. A
notarized document lends assurance to
the public that it's signer is the
person who signed the document and to
the signer that the document they have
signed will have full force and effect.
Do you provide "Mobile" Notary Public
services?
Yes! While you are welcome to visit our
offices, we do offer mobile service to come to your
home, office, or other location at your
convenience, giving you the advantage of
flexible scheduling - evenings and
weekends as well as regular business
hours. Additional fees apply based on
your location.
How much does it cost to have a
document notarized?
It depends on the number of signatures
which require notarization. The cost per
notarized signature is $10. So,
for example, if two people are
signing or two documents are being
signed by one person, it would be $20.
Why do I have to schedule an
appointment?
While walk-ins are welcome, appointments
are prudent. Our notaries provide mobile
services throughout Santa Monica and the
Westside, so to assure that there is
someone in the office, we recommend
scheduling an appointment. We also
strive to provide private and prompt
service. Scheduling an appointment means
you are in and out of our office... not
waiting in a line.
What Identification is required
for notarization?
Each signer must present at least one of
the forms of ID listed below. The ID
must be current or, if expired, have
been issued within the last 5 years;
contain the signer's photograph,
personal description, and signature; and
bear a serial or other identifying
number (Civil Code, Section 1185).
-
Driver's License or non-driver's ID
card issued by a U.S. state.
-
U.S. passport (physical description
not required).
-
U.S. Military Identification Card that
contains all required elements stated
above, (The Common Access Card, CAC,
is not acceptable).
-
Driver's License issued in Mexico or
Canada.
-
Foreign passport that has been stamped
by the U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS).
-
Inmate ID Issued by the California
Department of Corrections.
Unacceptable forms of
Identification include:
-
Matricula Consular Card
-
Social Security Cards
-
Temporary Driver's Licenses
-
Driver's Licenses without photographs
Can a document be notarized when
the signer does not have proper I.D.
If the signer cannot provide proper I.D.,
the notary may rely on the oath of two credible identifying
witnesses, with proper government-issued
identification.
Under oath, the credible witnesses must
swear or affirm that each of the
following is true (Civil Code section
1185(b)(1)(A)(i)-(v)):
1. The individual appearing before the
notary public as the signer of the document is the person named in the
document;
2. The credible witness personally knows
the signer;
3. The credible witness reasonably
believes that the circumstances of the
signer are
such that it would be very difficult or
impossible for the signer to obtain
another form of identification;
4. The signer does not possess any of
the identification documents authorized
by law to establish the signer’s
identity;
5. The credible witness does not have a
financial interest and is not named in
the document
signed.
Can a document be notarized if the
signer write (sign) their name?
Yes. When the signer of an instrument
cannot write (sign) his or her name,
that person may sign the document by
mark. (Civil Code section 14) The
requirements for notarizing a signature
by mark are as follows:
1. The person signing the document by
mark must be identified by the notary
public by satisfactory evidence. (Civil
Code section 1185);
2. The signer’s mark must be witnessed
by two persons who must subscribe their
own names as witnesses on the document.
I need a certified copy of my birth
certificate. Can you help me?
No. Notaries, by law, are not able to
certify any vital records. For a
certified copy of any vital record, you
must fill out an application with the
Office of Vital Records, i.e.,Application for a Certified Birth
Certificate (which requires
notarization) and
mail it to:
Office of Vital Records - MS 5103
P.O. Box 997410
Sacramento, CA 95899-7410
(916) 445-2684
Can you certify a copy of my passport?
Always keep in mind, Notaries
authenticate
signatures, not documents.
If you need to certify a copy of
an original document, like a passport,
background check, bank statement, etc. a Copy
Certification By Document Custodian may
suffice for your purposes.
It is you, the
holder of the document (Document
Custodian, NOT THE NOTARY) that will be asked to take
an oath that the document is a true,
complete and correct copy of the
original. *Please
note: you should check with the agency
receiving the document whether this will be sufficient.
Why do documents require
notarization?
Most importantly to deter fraud. To help
protect the legal rights of the persons
whose signatures are being notarized. It
is the legal responsibility of the
notary, serving as an impartial witness
and public official, to ensure that the
signers of notarized documents are
indeed who they claim to be.
Can a document with blank lines be
notarized?
A notary public may not notarize a
document that is incomplete (Government
Section 8205). This if for the public's
protection from the widespread
occurrence of fraud.
Is notarization required by law?
For certain documents, yes. Many
affidavits, real estate deeds, loan
papers, powers of attorney, and other
types of documents must be properly
notarized to become legally binding.
Oftentimes one of the simplest ways to
determine whether a document requires
notarization is to examine it-
specifically, in the vicinity of the
signature area- for notarial wording,
such as "...subscribed and sworn to
before me..."or"...acknowledged to..."
Such wording varies from state to state
(and from country to country), so use
these examples only as a general guide.
Also be aware that not all documents
requiring notarizing contain the
mandatory notarial wording; in such
cases, the notary must add the necessary
wording to the documents.
Do you have all the necessary
forms I will need?
Any documents a signer may need notarized
should be provided by the signer. We are
not attorneys and cannot provide legal
advice. For your convenience, below are
links to forms commonly requested by our
clients to have notarized; these forms
are made available for informational
purposes only and serve merely as
examples of documents frequently
requested to be notarized :
What is an Apostille?
Apostille is a French word which means
a certification, and is commonly used
to refer to the legalization of a
document for international use under
the terms of the 1961 Hague Convention
- Abolishing the Requirement of
Legalization for Foreign Public
Documents.
Why do I need an Apostille and
what does it do for me?
Most member countries agree that a
document which has been legalized with
an Apostille Certificate in its
country of origin will be accepted in
any other member country. This removes
the need for further evidence to be
obtained to prove the documents
authenticity.
An Apostille is required for legal
transactions where a document from one
country must be presented in another
as part of a legal process. Most often
this will involve business
transactions but is becoming more
common for property dealings and to
settle the estate of a deceased person
with assets overseas. Some of the most
common documents requiring
legalization with an Apostille
Certificate are Powers of Attorney,
Passports, Birth, Marriage and Death
Certificates. The requirement of an
Apostille benefits you in that in the
process of obtaining the Apostille,
you are verified as the signor of the
document by a Notary Public thus
deterring fraud.
What is Live Scan fingerprinting
and what is it used for?
Live Scan fingerprinting is the process
whereby fingerprints are scanned
electronically and transmitted via a
specialized computer terminal to the
California Department of Justice; unlike
the older process by applying inked
fingerprint impressions onto a
fingerprint card. The fingerprints,
along with identifying information
listed on the Request for Live Scan
Service form are searched in the data
files for matches that reveal whether
there is criminal history on record for
that individual, which in turn is used
for identification, employment and
licensing purposes.
What are the Live Scan Hours?
The Live Scan Hours are by appointment.
Live Scan services are available on a
walk-in basis only, first-come,
first-serve.
What is a Request for Live Scan
Service form and where do I get one?
The Request for Live Scan Service form
is a government form in triplicate,
identified at the top with
REQUEST FOR LIVE SCAN SERVICE -
Applicant Submission. It can also be
identified with the code
BCII 8016, which is located on the
bottom left corner of the form. In order
to be fingerprinted using Live Scan, you
must obtain one of these forms first. If
you do not have one you may download an
electronic version at:
http://ag.ca.gov/fingerprints/forms/BCII_8016.pdf
What do I need to bring with me?
A Request for Live Scan Service form,
which should already be completed.
A valid government-issued picture ID,
such as a driver's license or passport.
Payment for the Live Scan payable in the
form of exact cash, check.
What is the cost for Live Scan?
The cost for Live Scan includes a
rolling fee (which varies per Live Scan
location), plus applicable State and
Federal charges. The rates are currently
as follows; our rolling fee is $34.00,
the DOJ (Department of Justice) charge
is $32.00 and the FBI fee is $19.00. All
rates are subject to change. There might
be additional charges depending on the
type of application being processed. You
will be advised of the cost once you
arrive for your Live Scan.
Why do I have to be fingerprinted
again if I've already been fingerprinted
in the past?
(1) Per DOJ policy, sharing of criminal
history is not permitted.
(2) For identification purposes.
(3) Each job/license/permit application
can require a different level of
service,
i.e., some require DOJ, some require
both DOJ and FBI, in addition to other
checks.
How long does it take to get the results
back from DOJ and/or FBI?
In most cases, the results from DOJ come
back within 72 hours. Please note, due
to various reasons, results can be
delayed. For any significant delay, DOJ
will contact the requesting agency. The
results from the Live Scan
fingerprinting are either emailed or
sent to the requesting agency listed on
the Request for Live Scan Service form.
Once the Live Scan process has been
completed at our facility, please direct
all inquiries to the agency handling
your employment or licensing.
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