What is a Notary Public?
The Commonwealth of Virginia Notary Public Handbook defines a notary as a public officer “who acts as an official, unbiased witness to the identity and signature of the person who comes before the notary for a specific purpose. The person may be taking an oath, giving oral or written testimony, or signing or acknowledging his or her signature on a legal document. In each case, the notary attests that certain formalities [as required by law] are observed.”
What are the Official Acts of a Virginia Notary Public?
A notary has the power to perform various official acts, known as “notarial acts.” The Code of Virginia specifies five basic notarial acts. Some of our basic notary services include:
- Taking acknowledgments
- Administering oaths and affirmations
- Certifying affidavits or depositions
- Certifying “true copies” of documents*
- Verification of fact
Some of the most common documents we notarize include: Wills, Power of Attorney, Self-Proving Affidavits, Acknowledgements, Bills of Sale
* Virginia notaries are not authorized to certify copies of birth, death, or marriage certificates. Only the Division of Vital Records/Statistics may perform such a certification. If you need a certified copy of this type of document, you must request it from the state in which the individual was born. As a fraud prevention measure, many states require that the request form be notarized – a Virginia notary can notarize your signature on this form. Virginia notaries are not authorized to perform marriage ceremonies.
What kind of identification is needed to have my document notarized?
As per Virginia law, all signers must personally appear before the notary and present government issued photo identification. The name on the identification must match the name printed on the document. Acceptable identification documents are one or more of the following nine unexpired documents:
- State-issued driver’s license
- State-issued identification card
- United States military card
- United States Passport
- United States Passport Card
- Certificate of United States citizenship
- Certificate of naturalization
- Foreign passport
- An alien registration card with photograph
A notary may refuse to notarize a signature if he or she is uncertain of an individual’s identity, or if the notary is uncomfortable with the validity of the identification documents.