Just say no 3
Notaries need to know what to do and what not to do. Although rules change across state lines, here are some basic rules to think about.
Staples anyone?
Many states require that the notary certificate be attached to the document. Many companies will get mad at you for stapling their deed of trust together. But pages can easily be switched without a staple. Attach is one particular formal way of saying staple. There doesn’t seem to be any other way to “attach” a certificate to a document.
Leaving loose certificates
Once again, certificates can not be sent without the document they correspond to. If you notarize a document, the certificate wording should either be embedded in the document, or on an “attached” form. If you are asked to send another “Jurat” (by this, people really might mean acknolwedgment certificate) in the mail. You need to ask the company to send the document so you can attach it. They they say, “Oh, come on”. Tell them that if they want their “jurat” you need the original document otherwise they could attach it to anything.
New pages in a document?
If a signer had a document notarized and has a new page that they want notarized, you need to notarize the document all over again despite their whining. You can not notarize individual pages of a multi-page document.
Notarizing a photograph?
You can not notarize a photograph. If you have a document regarding a photograph, you can staple the photo to the document and notarize the document. You could even put an embosser halfway through the photo with the other half going through the document as its attached to the document.
Notarizing before the signer signs?
Don’t save time by filling out the notary forms before the signer shows up. If you affix your notarial seal before the signer has signed the document and your journal, you have committed a crime. Just wait until all the other necessary steps are complete and then fill out the wording and affix your seal.
Beneficial interest?
If you are mentioned in a document, or are closely related to a person who is mentioned in a document, that can constitute beneficial interest. If you derive a benefit from a document being signed, that is definately beneficial interest. One of our notaries informs us that if you only get paid as a notary if a particular document gets signed, then you have beneficial interest. Get your travel fees at the door before you figure out if you are doing to notarize a document. If the ID is not good, or the signer is drugged at a hospital, you will feel motivated to try to find a way to notarize that person if you haven’t been paid. That is actually a very common type of beneficial conflict of interest that invovles notaries on a daily basis.
Notarizing yourself?
Don’t notarize yourself. You can not notarize your own signature no matter what in any state. The whole purpose of a notary is that they verify other people’s signatures.
Tweets:
(1) It is illegal to notarize something without making sure the certificate is attached!
(2) If you are adding a new page to a document, do you need to notarize the whole thing all over again?
(3) Some notaries save time by notarizing before the signer signs! This is illegal!
You might also like:
Just say no article 2
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=225
13 ways to get sued as a notary
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19614
Compilation of posts about Notary fraud
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21527
Jail Notary Jobs from A to Z
Have you ever done a jail notary?
Have you ever visited a Jail? Would you be afraid to go to one?
In reality, a jail is a very place place to visit. There are guards everywhere, and the bad guys are behind bars. Notaries make a pretty penny notarizing at jails, in fact some make so much it should be criminal to charge that much! You can charge a lot higher travel fee going to a jail because its a lot more trouble than a regular signing, and few notaries are willing to go. There is also more to know. Jail signings are usually the result of physical or online yellow page advertising, not directories that cater to loan signings ( such as ours ).
Who hires you to do a jail signing?
If you are called to do a Jail signing, it is never the inmate who calls you, but their girlfriend, family member, or attorney. The inmates don’t want to blow their (1) phone call calling a notary – and I don’t blame them. You need to arrange a time and meeting point near the jail where you are sure to be able to spot each other – at the same place at the same time. Its easy to get lost at a jail.
Idenfication for jail-birds
When you get the call, ask them if they have identification for the signer, and if they do, then have them read it to you – including the expiration date, before you book an appointment. If they don’t have ID, don’t use the jail bracelet wristband, thats not acceptable by notary standards. You might be able to use credible witnesses if you can get two of them who have ID that is current – if credible witnesses are allowed in your state. If you can’t get identification, you might be able to do a Jurat which doesn’t require identification in most states. However, California now requires ID for Jurats as well. Unfortunately, most documents such as a power of attorney or grant deed are normally done with an acknowlegment, not a jurat. But, you can attach a Jurat form and hope for the best. A recorded document might not be accepted for recording if its not done with the proper wording, but you never know.
Where do you meet your client for a jail signing?
You have to arrange to meet a stranger at the jail at a certain time. Jails are large confusing places, so it might be better to meet at a well marked street corner. If you meet in a jail, you might not know which part of the jail to meet. Waiting room? Hall to the waiting room? Front dest? Out side the bront door? IN the parking lot? Its easy for two people to be at opposite ends of the same facility or get lost. Make sure the person meeting you has a cell phone and make sure you confirm with them, otherwise you might be making a trip for nothing. Jail notaries are not for the elite of society and blowing off a notary would not ruffle the conscience of most of your potential clients for this type of job.
Logistics at the jail.
Once you are actually at the jail, you meet the client, and then fill out forms with the guards to be granted permission to enter. Make sure you know what cell the inmate is in and that they haven’t been moved. Be prepared to wait – jails have a very different sense of time from the way a busy notaries sees time. Follow the instructions for where to go, and then find a guard to bring the inmate to you once you are there. You will have to pass your journal and forms through slits with help of the guard.
You might also like:
Find a Notary who can notarize at a Los Angeles County jail
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21349
A typical botched jail job: fees at the door misunderstood
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2597
Putting hospitals & jails in your notes section on your profile
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19266