FAQs
A state-appointed official commissioned to witness the signing of important documents and to administer oaths. Documents are notarized to deter fraud and to ensure they are correctly executed. An impartial witness (the Notary) identifies signers to screen out impostors and to make sure they have entered into agreements knowingly and willingly.
No. It is illegal for a Notary to prepare legal documents, answer legal questions or act as a legal advisor unless he or she is also an attorney. A violation of this is considered a UPL (unauthorized practice of law) and is a crime. Also, a Notary cannot provide any advice about a particular document.
Notarizing a document is a legal process, but it does not necessarily make the document legal. The legality is decided by whom you are giving it to and the courts, if necessary.
No, I'm strictly a mobile notary. I meet my clients by appointment at a time and location that is convenient for them.
I proudly serve the following cities:
Long Beach, Carson, Signal Hill, El Camino Village, Cerritos, San Pedro, Wilmington, Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Harbor City, Torrance, Compton, El Segundo, Lomita, Gardena, Rolling HIlls, Lawndale.
Each appointment is different, but most take about 15-20 minutes as long everyone has a valid ID, and the paperwork is filled out prior to my arrival.
Yes, because not only does the notary have to verify the identity of the person signing but the individual has to sign the notary journal along with giving his or her thumbprint.
If you don't have ID then at the time of the appointment there need to be two witnesses present who have ID and who can swear that they know you are whom you say you are. These are called credible witnesses, and they will need to sign my journal as a part of the notarial process.
The notary public can establish the identity of the signer using identification documents as follows:
- There is reasonable reliance on any one of the following forms of identification, provided it is current or was issued within five years:
a. An identification card or driver's license issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles;
b. A United States passport;
c. An inmate identification card issued by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, if the inmate is in custody in California state prison;
d. Any form of inmate identification issued by a sheriff's department, if the inmate is in custody in a local detention facility; or - There is reasonable reliance on any one of the following forms of identification, provided that it also contains a photograph, description of the person, signature of the person, and an identifying number:
(a) A valid consular identification document issued by a consulate from the applicant's country of citizenship, or a valid passport from the applicant's country of citizenship;
(b) A driver's license issued by another state or by a Canadian or Mexican public agency authorized to issue driver's licenses;
(c) An identification card issued by another state;
(d) A United States military identification card (caution: current military identification cards might not contain all the required information);
(e) An employee identification card issued by an agency or office of the State of California, or an agency or office of a city, county, or city and county in California.
(f) An identification card issued by a federally recognized tribal government.
