Definitions

Oath of a Single Credible Witness means that someone who knows the notary public and the individual will be able to vouch for the individual who is wanting to have their document notarized.

Oath of Two Credible Witness means that someone who does not know the notary public but knows the individual will be able to vouch for the individual who is wanting to have their document notarized.

An acknowledgment means that you have asked the individual for their “paper” identification and/or if the individual has signed the document before coming to see a notary, the notary asks the individual if this is their signature. If it is, then the notary can continue with their duties.

A Jurat is identified by the wording “Subscribed and sworn to (or affirmed)” contained in the form. In the jurat, the notary public certifies: • That the signer personally appeared before the notary public on the date indicated and in the county indicated; • That the signer signed the document in the presence of the notary public; • That the notary public administered the oath or affirmation*; and • To the identity of the signer (Jurat information is from the California Notary Public Handbook)

Fees are usually $15.00 per signature page. If working as a mobile notary public, traveling fees vary.

Signature by Mark means that a person who is unable to sign a document can appoint someone to watch that person make a make a mark on the document under his/her own power.

To copy a line item from the notary’s journal, it is thirty (.30) cents per page. The party requesting this would need to submit to the notary the name of the party, the date (month and year) and also what type of document it was.

A notary, no matter what is performed whether it would be an acknowledgment, a jurat or something else, must indicate it in their journal.

Conflict of Interest means that you may notarize documents for any family members, just as long as the notary public’s name is not on the document.

If a document is going out of state, the Acknowledgment must be in California wording and it must be in English.