How to Have a Successful Notary Appointment

Thus far in my young notary career, most of my clients have asked me the same hypothetical question: what elements make for a smooth, successful notary appointment?  Honestly speaking, there are numerous factors; the aptitude of the notary themselves, the documents to be notarized, the signer(s)/witnesses, and many others. However, I'll focus on what the signer - or in this case, the consumer - needs to do to ensure that their appointment with the respective notary goes as smoothly as possible.

1. Research the notary...thoroughly. I cannot stress this enough. Knowing the notary you'll be using is vital, especially if you have highly sensitive documents, such as immigration contracts, business contracts, or even Power of Attorney forms ("POA"). The notary should be not only be knowledgeable on all documents, but must also be ethical. I've heard stories of consumers who have found themselves in trouble due to notaries having expired commissions, or even revoked commissions. Consumers should be use all available tools (websites, registries, etc.) to ensure their desired notary is in good standing with their State. If you're unsure of the aforementioned, call your County Clerk's and inquire. The County Clerk's Office has all available information on a particular, which includes current ethical standing, disciplinary actions, enforcement rulings, etc. The last thing you'd want is for your notarized documents to be revoked because your notary is unethical.
2. Proper Identification Prevents Piss Poor Notary Signings. A notary's basic job is to prevent fraud by ensuring that signer/witness of a specific document are exactly who they say they are. As a consumer, it is imperative that you have that good ol' identification - you know, to prove you are the person who is named on the document(s) you are trying to sign. Of course, there is a special circumstance where ID is not needed - only when the notary knows the signer personally, that's it. My honest advice for clients is to have at least three forms of identification - just in case. I know you may be thinking, three seems a bit much. Well, in conjunction with the title of this section, "proper preparation prevents piss poor performance". The same philosophy applies here. Some examples of proper ID would be the following:
3. State-issued driver's license or regular State identification.
4. School ID (preferably a University ID)
5. Job ID (for my government workers - that work ID comes in handy outside of work - in an ethical way, of course).
6. Passport.
7. Citizenship/Naturalization Certificate (as weird as this sounds, I've actually used this to get a financial document notarized).
8. Leave the document blank. I think this speaks for itself. The biggest mistake that a client can make is to sign the document before appearing their notary. Whatever you do, under no circumstance should you sign a document that requires a notarial stamp/signature before the appropriate signing time. That document is practically useless at that point - and you will be required to obtain a new one. Do yourself (and the notary) a favor and just leave the form blank. Trust me, it saves everyone a lot of hassle.
9. Presentation matters. Appointments with your notary should be viewed as an important contract signing - and I could imagine that nobody would show up to a contract meeting in their pajamas and bonnet. I'm saying you should be in a 3-piece suit, but at least look like the meeting means something to you.
10. Courtesy counts. This is another self-explanatory section. Ensure a professional & courteous attitude. Allow the notary ample time to do their job & review all paperwork presented - as you may not know this, but notaries are randomly audited by their State. Lastly, leave a generous tip, especially if the notary had to travel to the location of the signing. It's only right.

Take notice of these simple tips and you'll be on your way to smooth-sailing notary appointment. As always, if you have any inquiries or need a notary yourself, email me at oluwatobinotaryservices@outlook.com, or visit www.oluwatobinotary.com to set up an appointment with me.