What is a Notary Public?
A notary public is an official who has been appointed by the government to serve as an impartial witness and certify legal documents. They are used in many types of transactions, from banking to real estate, and their role is essential for ensuring the validity of contracts and agreements. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what exactly a notary public does and what you need to know before working with one.
What Does a Notary Public Do?
A Notary Public is a person who has been licensed by their state to authenticate documents and verify signatures on documents. They act as a neutral third-party witness for important financial or legal transactions, such as mortgages, loan agreements, wills, deeds of trust, affidavits, powers of attorney, and many other kinds of contracts.
When working with a notary public, it’s important to understand that they are not attorneys and cannot provide legal advice or offer any kind of opinion on the legality or content of documents. Their primary role is simply to authenticate documents by verifying the identity of the signer(s) and administering oaths when necessary.
In order to become certified as a notary public in most states, applicants must meet certain requirements such as passing an exam administered by the Secretary of State’s office in their state. Once they have passed the exam and received their credentials from their state’s Secretary of State’s office (or other relevant licensing agency), they are authorized to witness signatures on legal documents and administer oaths.
Notaries may also be required to keep a record book that includes information about all of the documents they have witnessed or authenticated during their tenure as a notary public.
One final note – while some states require notaries to have professional liability insurance coverage in order to work legally in their state, others do not require this additional coverage; be sure to check your local laws before proceeding with any document authentication process involving a notary public.
Conclusion: In summary, it’s important to understand that notaries public are impartial witnesses who act as intermediaries between parties involved in certain financial or legal transactions. They can verify identities and signatures on documents but cannot provide any sort of legal advice or opinion on the legality or content of those documents. Finally, each state has its own set of requirements for certification – so be sure you know yours before engaging with any third-party services involving a notary public! With this newfound knowledge about what exactly a notary public does, you should now feel more confident about navigating any transaction requiring one! Good luck!
