What is a notary public?
A notary public (sometimes called a notary or a public notary) is an individual authorized by state or local government to officially witness signatures on legal documents, collect sworn statements and administer oaths. A notary public uses an embossing tool to verify his or her presence at the time the documents were signed. Most states issue a unique identifying number to each notary public in order to prevent fraudulent use of the embosser. An attorney or other public figure can be granted notary public status, but no legal training is required to apply for the position. Certain legal documents are required to be ‘notarized’ in order to be recognized in court, so a notary public spends most of his or her time observing routine signatures. Because identities are critical, a notary public may also spend some time verifying the names of the parties involved in the signing. Generally, all parties provide some form of official identification (driver’s license, birth certificate, passport
GROUND As public officials who are appointed and commissioned by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, notaries public are held to the highest standards of integrity, honesty and trust. Notaries public are also playing an ever more vital role in commerce and are on the front lines of deterring document fraud, particularly in light of heightened security concerns and the increased threat of identity theft. In Pennsylvania, a notary public has the power to administer oaths and affirmations, certify copies and take depositions, affidavits, verifications, upon oath or affirmation and acknowledgments. In addition, notaries public are authorized to issue protests. Notaries public commissioned in Pennsylvania are authorized to notarize documents in any county in Pennsylvania. HISTORY The office of notary public is an important position of public trust that has experienced many changes since its inception in ancient Rome. At that time, notaries public served as public scribes, writing for those w
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 stam
