About Notaries

What is a notary public?

Notary Public is an official of integrity appointed by state government, specifically the California Secretary of State, to serve the public as an impartial witness in performing a variety of official fraud-deterrent acts related to the signing of important documents. 

These official acts are called notarizations, or notarial acts. Notaries are publicly commissioned as "ministerial" officials, meaning that they are expected to follow written rules without the exercise of significant personal discretion, as would otherwise be the case with a "judicial" official.

What does a notary do?

A Notary's duty is to screen the signers of important documents for their true identity, their willingness to sign without duress or intimidation, and their awareness of the contents of the document or transaction. 

Some notarizations, known as jurats, also require the Notary to put the signer under an oath, declaring under penalty of perjury that the information contained in a document is true and correct. 

Property deeds, wills and powers of attorney are examples of documents that commonly require a Notary.

Impartiality is the foundation of the public trust placed in a notary by the State. Notaries are duty-bound not to act in situations where they have a personal interest. The public trusts that the Notary's screening tasks have not been corrupted by self-interest. And, impartiality dictates that a Notary never refuse to serve a person due to race, nationality, religion, politics, sexual orientation or status as a non-customer.

As official representatives of the state, Notaries Public certify the proper execution of many of the life-changing documents of private citizens — whether those diverse transactions convey real estate, grant powers of attorney, establish a prenuptial agreement, or perform the multitude of other activities that enable our society to function.

Why are notaries and
notarizations necessary?

Through the process of notarization, Notaries try to deter fraud and establish that the signer knows what document he or she is signing, and that the signer is a willing participant in the transaction.