What does a Notary Public do?

What a notary public does is witness the signing ofproperty of the notary public. A notary public's
the documents and ask each party for a sworn oathsignature and seal is required to authenticate the
of authenticity. A notary (or a notary public) is asignatures on many legal documents. The notary
person legally authorized by a state to administerpublic verifies the person's identity, usually done with
oaths, take acknowledgments & certify documents.a driver's license, presses the notary seal on the
A notary public shall exercise no power or jurisdictiondocument and signs it.
in criminal cases.If you're an inpatient, you may also ask your nurse
A notary public must ensure that the person signing aor unit clerk to arrange for the services of a notary
document to be notarized is who s/he says s/he is.public without charge. Additionally, mail-box shops,
Because identities are critical, a notary public may alsocopy services, and banks often provide Notary
spend some time verifying the names of the partiesservices to the public.
involved in the signing.Authentication of a Notary Public's signature is often
One misconception about a notary public is that his orrequired when foreign and other jurisdictions are
her official signature and/or embossing stampinvolved. The public may access this record and
automatically makes a document 'true and legal'.verify the "official" signature of the notary at the
Documents certified by notaries public are sealed withcounty clerk's office. If not, then a sample of the
the notary's seal and are recorded by the notaryNotary's signature and seal must first be
public in a register maintained by him/her.authenticated by the appropriate provincial authority
The notary public's seal shall either be a seal press orresponsible for Notaries Public.
a rubber stamp. These shall be the exclusive