Can you come to my home, office, hospital, nursing home, etc?
Yes! That’s what sets our service apart from office-only based Notaries
The signer doesn’t have an ID. What do we do?
Have two “credible witnesses” with ID swear or affirm the signer’s identity to the notary. The witnesses must not be named in the document or benefit from having the document signed. Long time friends or neighbors are typically fine
The signer is paralyzed and can’t sign. Can I sign for them?
Unless you have a power of attorney that has been previously signed and notarized authorizing you to sign documents for the paralyzed person, no. If the signer is able to sign in other ways (signs with their feet, mouth, etc and has done so for the majority of their life or substantial time following injury) that would generally be acceptable. In effect if the signer is generally well known to sign using a non-traditional method it “could” be acceptable. In general you should consult the advice of an attorney in these situations.
The signer can’t come to your office. If I bring their ID can you notarize the document?
No. If we did then anyone with a stolen purse or wallet could bring an ID and a financial power of attorney, deed, etc. And defraud the person whose ID they have. Signers BY LAW must be physically present. We can come to the signer if needed.
* In very rare corporate document situations the signer may not need to be present, but this requires a specific type of notary certificate that is not applicable to most personal issues.
If I come to you (after hours) will you notarize for only $5?
No. We don’t live at the office. For our safety and our family’s safety we don’t notarize in our homes. If we must walk or drive to meet you, we charge a travel fee. If you come to our office Tues-Sat 10 to 5 pm the charge is only $5 per notary stamp.
If I pay you more will you bend the rules?
This is bribery of a state official and is a felony if you offer and/or we accept. We aren’t going to jail for our clients and don’t want you to go to jail either.
I have a document in another language. Can you notarize it?
A notary can only notarize in a language that they speak. The NOTARY CERTIFICATE (The “notary wording”) must be in a language in which the notary fluently speaks. I only speak English, therefore I can only notarize documents with a notary certificate printed in English. The document can be written in any language, but the notary certificate MUST be in ENGLISH for me to notarize it.
The signer is in a coma, can you notarize for them?
No. The signer must be mentally capable and aware. We recommend contacting an attorney or the court system to explore the option of conservatorship.
Another notary charges a lower / higher travel fee than you. Why?
Some charge more, some charge less just as in any other profession. We charge a fair rate for the service we provide. We pride ourselves in integrity, attention to details, knowledge of notary rules and laws and keep up with industry news and trends. We do not cut corners or blindly stamp documents. We want our clients to rest assured that their notarization has been conducted properly and beyond legal reproach. Tennessee does not require Notaries to take courses in notary practice, but have taken it upon ourselves to be well educated in notary best practices and laws via numerous printed and online manuals and courses.
