FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is a notary? A notary is an official commissioned by the Secretary of State's office. A notary’s primary goal is to serve the public by performing fraud-deterrent acts related to the signing of documents. These acts are referred to as "notarizations" or "notarial acts".
What does a notary do? A notary has four main responsibilities: 1.Ensures the signer personally appears. 2.Verifies the identity of the person signing the document to be notarized. 3.Keeps accurate record of all notarizations/notarial acts. 4.Follows all notarial procedures. In some cases, notaries administer an oath or affirmation to a signer, requiring them to declare under penalty of perjury that, to the best of their knowledge, the information in the document to be notarized is true and correct.
What are acceptable forms of ID? The types of IDs listed below may be presented to the notary to establish identity. These IDs must be current or have been issued within the previous five years. •Driver's License •State-issued ID Card •US Passport •US Military ID •Foreign Passport •An employee ID card issued by an agency or office of a Californian city, a Californian county, a Californian city and county, or the State of California •ID card issued by a federally recognized tribal government *If unable to provide any of the ID types listed above, please submit a Contact Request Form to explore other possibilities for verifying identity.
What are acceptable forms of payment? The following are acceptable forms of payment: •Cash, •Check •Venmo •Apple Pay