Notarization Requirements

The signer(s) being notarized must be present at the time of the Florida notarization.

*Remote notarization is available, however the signer(s) must be present for the video conference and meet the remaining requirements.

The signer(s) must have photo ID that covers the names shown on the document (for example, if your middle name is spelled out on the document, it must be spelled out on your photo ID). The ID can have more than the document, just not less.

*For example, if the ID states Jane Mary Doe, the document may state Jane Doe or Jane M Doe. If the ID states Jane M Doe, the document cannot state Jane Mary Doe.

You must have the document that is being notarized. We can print the document for you that you email to us (see Pricing and Payment section)

A Florida Notary is not a lawyer and is not allowed to provide legal advice or direction. We can, however, provide non-attorney legal document preparation and filing agent services for many forms using information you provide to us. Many of these documents can be found in the Download section of this site. We cannot tell you which forms you need for your circumstances.

Note: Please try to print the documents at least 1 hr before the Florida Mobile Notary arrives so that you have time to warn us if you have trouble printing and to give you time to proofread the document, especially making sure the name on the document is spelled correctly and checked against the signer’s ID. The ID can have more of the name than what is on the document, but not less. It is okay to use a commonly known nickname on your documents, like Jim for James (where “James” is on the ID, but document says “Jim”).

We cannot notarize incomplete documents with incomplete or blank lines in the text above your signature line. We cannot notarize just the last “signature page” without the rest of the document present. All pages of the document must be present and the document must be fully completed.

*DO NOT SIGN YOUR DOCUMENT BEFORE YOUR NOTARIZATION APPOINTMENT. We cannot notarize a document that was signed prior to our ID verification or out of our presence.

All signers must be competent to sign, be fully alert, and be able to prove to the notary that they understand the contents being signed. Nodding is not sufficient. If the signer cannot speak, then he or she will need to be able to write out complete sentences to questions like: “Please explain what a Power of Attorney is or does?” We cannot notarize someone with dementia, cognitive impairments, or someone on medication that makes the signer extremely drowsy or cognitively altered. In a hospital or medical setting, we may need to speak with your medical care team in order to assess competency. You may need to go to court to be able to take over the signing responsibilities for someone if signing a document such as a Power of Attorney cannot be notarized because of these issues.

*Travel fees will still be due and payable if the signer does not have signing capacity when we arrive for the notarization, or if other notarization requirements are not met.

Each signer needs to be able to explain what he or she is signing in English directly to the notary, without a translator. It is not a problem if the document is in a foreign language, but the notary wording that we sign has to be in English or we can provide the notary wording on a stamp.

In some circumstances we can provide a translator at an additional fee.  Please contact us for availability of this service.

Signatures need to match the signature on the government ID provided to us for identity verification.

There are some situations due to injury, illiteracy, and other special circumstances where this is not possible. The signer then needs to be able to sign in a way that resembles a signature, even if it no longer looks like the original signature on an ID. If the signer can only make some kind of small mark or “x” on the signature line or needs to direct the notary or another individual to sign for them, that adds additional layers of complexity. Please notify us at the time you make the appointment if any of these accommodation needs exist so we can ensure to have any additional necessary documents or notarization certificates with us.

Please try to print your documents at least an hour before our appointment in case there is a problem with the printing (so there is time to fix it or run to a Kinkos) and to give you time to proofread the document (especially the names of the signers). Thanks.

*DO NOT SIGN YOUR DOCUMENT prior to your notarization appointment. All signatures must be affixed in our presence.