How To Find A Notary Public In Brea
What is a notary? Many people who even use notaries consistently cannot answer this question.
Notaries are trustworthy individuals commissioned by their state to verify another’s identity for legal purposes. To state that someone has been verified, a notary public places their signature and unique seal (stamp or embosser) on a certificate to clarify the level of verification made between the notary and the individual.
A common misconception is that notaries notarize documents. This is not true. Notaries notarize, in a nutshell, an individual’s identity. While notaries must view documents for completeness (no blanks or missing pages), the contents of a document do not matter to a notary.
To find a notary public in Brea, you will first need to search for them online. To be forward, there are two types of notaries, ones that are required to be notaries because their job titles requires them (bank tellers, shipping location associates, etc.) or those who elected to become a notary themselves where taking care of you and training to be the best notary in Brea is important to them.
When looking for a notary public in Brea, look to see their extra certifications and credentials. Notaries who want to take care of you the most will put more education into their business. Notaries at banks or shipping locations know the basics required by state commissioning guidelines, however, they are rarely trained in how to help you in specific situations or how to guide you through certain documents. In Fact, a lot of “free notaries” or “in store notaries” are not allowed to notarize certain documents because of the risk it presents to the company who hires them. With that being said, notaries who understand the risk will carry a decent amount of Errors & Omissions insurance to protect you. Typical notaries carry $100k, however, dedicated notary publics carry $1million.
In the state of California, notaries are regulated on how much can be charged per signature. A Notary Public in Brea can charge $15 per signature for notarizations. While there are a few less used regulated notary charges (certified copies of POA - $15, copy of journal entry line - $.30, Depositions -$30*, Immigration papers - $15 per set, Oaths and Affirmations - $15,roofs of Execution by subscribing witness-$15), travel fees, print fees, rush fees, etc., are determined by the notary.
While anything can be notarized, there are typical documents that get notarized more frequently than others. Some popular notarized documents are living wills and trusts, employment verifications, advanced health care directives, power of attorney, deeds, domestic partnership, estate plans, lease agreements, passports, release of interest, spousal transfer, interspousal transfer, subordination, vital records request, birth certificate request, marriage license request, and more!
Once you have your appointment set with your notary, there are a few things that can help you have a smooth appointment. First is identification. While all states are slightly different, California only allows certain identifications to be used for notarized. You can use your US driver’s license, US non-driver’s identification, most passports and driver’s license (not non-driver’s identification) from Canada or Mexico and long as they are valid (non-expired) or within 5 years of the issue date. Other forms of identification are accepted with the same rules (valid or within 5 years of issue date) but almost MUST have a photo, personal description, signature and serial number. These are military ID cards, identification issued by jails or prisons, and federally recognized Native tribes. Second, if your name is listed on your documents, it must be listed the same on your ID. Some exceptions are the “more, not less” rule. If your ID names you as Michael H. Douglass but your paperwork names you as Mike Douglass, in the state of California, we are allowed to recognize this. If your paper work names you as Cassandra Marie Thornton but your ID only has your listed as Cassandra Thornton, we will be unable to ID you due to your middle name not being present on your ID. Third, please ask the requesting power which type of certificate you will need for notarization. Typically, they will request an acknowledgement (validating your identity and your signature, in short) or a jurat (validating your identity, your signature, and your oath that the document is true to your belief). As your notary, we are unable to make this decision for you even if we know which one is required. Lastly, for success, ask the requesting powers if there is preprinted paperwork, if you need to create your own or if there is a template for you to follow. As your notary, we are unable to provide, help, or create the documents you are needing notarization for. Some requesting powers, like police tow yards, will require the notarization to be on the same page as your letter, however, they will not tell you that unless you ask.