Common Questions, Helpful Information

Does A Notarized Statement Mean It Is True or Valid?

Simple answer:  No.

A notary stamp on a document means one of two things happened:

  1.  A person signed a document in front of the notary public OR acknowledged that they signed the document.
  2.  A person swore under oath (like in court) that the statements made in a document are true and/or correct.

A notary public is NOT concerned with the validity of a document.  We are only concerned with positively identifying the signer of a document, making sure they are signing of their own free will, are reasonably mentally capable of signing the document and issuing an oath (if the notarization requires an oath or is a sworn statement).

The validity (truthfulness) of a document is not scrutinized by a notary public.  We are not judges or juries.  We will typically only scan a document to make sure they are complete and that the name(s) match up to who is signing.  We aren’t concerned with the specific content.  We don’t need the background story of why you need the document notarized.

You could actually write a document swearing (or affirming) that you own the Moon and we can legally notarize it provided that you supply the proper identification and swear or affirm the document.  THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU OWN THE MOON!  It means that you swore an oath, like in court, that you own the Moon.  If you don’t own the Moon (and most likely you don’t) you would have committed perjury which is a punishable offense.  If anyone were to challenge your document in court you could be guilty of perjury and possibly end up in jail.

So why have a document notarized?

Having an document is assurance (NOT *INSURANCE*) that the signer of a document has been properly identified and has acknowledge that the signature provided is their own or that they have been sworn by a state official (notary public) that the statements in a document are true under penalty of perjury.  It is an additional step that courts, businesses and private parties may take to know that a document has been legitimately signed by the person claiming to sign it.  The notarization is an extra measure of protection to prevent fraud or deceit.