Can a fax or photocopy be notarized?
Yes, if the document has an original signature. Copied or faxed signatures cannot notarized. If you have a document on glossy fax paper (not bond), the document should be copied and then the photocopy can be notarized. The wording on glossy paper will fade over time and many public recorders will not accept those documents.
A fax or photocopy may be notarized only if it bears an original signature. That is, it must have been signed with pen and ink. For the protection of the document’s signers, a photocopied or faxed signature may never be notarized. Note that some public recorders will not accept notarized signatures on faxed or photocopied pages because they often do not reproduce legibly (e.g., when microfilming, photocopying, scanning, etc.). Also, if a document has been faxed onto glossy paper, the fax should be photocopied onto bond paper, and that copy then signed and notarized, as wording on glossy fax paper often fades quickly and illegibly. When carbon copies are made, the notary will sometimes be asked to conform, rather than to notarize, the copies. To conform a copy, the notary must reaffix his official seal on the copy (carbon usually does not readily transfer a seal impression) and write “Conformed Copy” prominently across the copy.
