What Is A Notary?

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A Notary Public is a state-authorized official who verifies the identity of individuals signing important documents and ensures they are signing willingly and knowingly. Some notarizations also require the Notary to put the signer under an oath, declaring under penalty of perjury that the information contained in a document is true and correct. Property deeds, wills, and powers of attorney are examples of documents that commonly require a Notary.

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Notaries are required to remain impartial and cannot notarize documents where they have a personal interest. They must also serve all individuals without discrimination. The public trusts that the Notary's screening tasks have not been corrupted by self-interest. And impartiality dictates that a Notary never refuses to serve a person due to race, nationality, religion, politics, sexual orientation, or status as a non-customer.

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As official representatives of the state, Notaries Public certify the proper execution of many of the life-changing documents of private citizens — whether those diverse transactions convey real estate, grant powers of attorney, establish a prenuptial agreement or perform the multitude of other activities that enable our civil society to function.

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