How to Become a Notary Public

A Notary Public is a public servant appointed and commissioned by the state to witness the executing of documents and administer oaths.

"Witness the executing of documents," simply means to witness the signing of a document. To "administer oaths," is to ask the person to swear or affirm to certain information and to witness that the statement was made under oath.

Notarized documents are required in a variety of settings. When real estate changes hands or is used to secure a loan, the Deed of Trust needs notarizing. This might be the most common document calling for a notarization.

Other examples are Powers of Attorney, Grant Deeds, permissions for students to travel with a school group, transfers of investments, insurance papers, etc.

When a notarized oath or statement is required, like one that starts out, "I swear or affirm that I have never been known by any other name. . ." a Notary Public can administer the oath and provide the notarization documenting the event.

The Notary is required to verify that the signer is actually who they say they are. This is usually proven with a valid and current Driver's License. They need to log that information into a Notary Journal. They also need the signer to sign their journal and in some cases provide a thumbprint. Other journal entries are for the date and place of signing, type of notarization needed, and description of document to be notarized. Then they need to witness the signing of the document by the signer. The Notary then signs and stamps the Acknowledgement (for witnessing a signature) or Jurat (for an oath) and attaches it to the document. Sometimes the wording for the Acknowledgement or Jurat is already part of the document to be signed.

So the basic steps to a notarization are:

1. Verify identification and log in Journal.

2. Fill in other Journal information.

3. Get a signature and possibly thumbprint.

4. Witness signature of document or oath.

5. Fill out and stamp Notary certificate.

The client now has their notarized document, and the Notary Public has a record of the event in their official journal.

More and more of today's documents are requiring notarization. Good Notaries are in demand and often hard to find. Becoming a mobile Notary Public is a good home-based business in and of itself.

But what if you aren't ready to leave your current job or are actually looking for work? An employee who is also a Notary Public will have far more value to an employer than one who isn't. Everything else being equal, the person with a Notary commission has a much better chance of rising to the top. All businesses need documents notarized, and having a Notary Public inhouse saves an incredible amount of time, money and inconvenience. You become the one who is called in to the boss' office when contracts are being signed. Soon you're known by all the officers of the company, and your discretion and integrity is spotlighted by virtue of your commission as Notary. It's like giving yourself a promotion.

It's easy to become a Notary in your state. For full and FREE information on how to become a Notary Public in each U.S. state, go to www.notarysources.com.



If you are ready to strike out on your own, Mobile Notaries are needed as well. I've made my living at it for many years. Just ask yourself, if I needed a Notary today, where would I find one? Most of my clients are too busy to take their documents to a Notary, and so they call me to come to their home or office, or to their mom in an assisted living center. . .get the picture? And once they find a Notary who comes to them, they will call you over and over when a notarization is required. They'll also tell their friends.

Kick it up another notch and become a Notary Loan Signing Agent for the real income potential! I've taught many others how I do it!

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