To get a document notarized, bring an unexpired government photo ID and your completed but unsigned document to a notary — at a bank, a UPS Store or FedEx Office, a law or title office, or through a remote online platform — then sign the document while the notary watches and applies their seal. The whole appointment usually takes about ten minutes. Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia also authorize remote online notarization, so you can do it from a webcam if your document type qualifies.1NASS.org. Remote Electronic Notarization
What to Bring
A current, unexpired government-issued photo ID is the non-negotiable item. A state driver’s license, U.S. passport, or military ID works everywhere. The ID has to show your photograph, a physical description, and your signature. If any of those are missing, or the ID is expired, most notaries will turn you away. A handful of states accept IDs that expired within the last three to five years, but don’t rely on that unless you’ve checked your state’s rule first.
If you don’t have acceptable ID, some states let you bring one or two credible identifying witnesses — people who personally know you, can swear to your identity under oath, and have no financial interest in the transaction. The witnesses usually need their own valid IDs. Who qualifies and how many you need varies by state, so call ahead if you plan to use this option.
Bring the document, but leave the signature line blank. The notary has to watch you sign in real time, and a pre-signed document will often be refused because the notary can’t certify witnessing something that already happened. The rest of the document should be fully filled in. Notaries are trained to refuse documents with significant blank spaces or missing pages, because gaps create fraud risk.
Everyone whose signature needs notarizing must appear in front of the notary, in person or through an authorized online session. You cannot sign on someone else’s behalf unless you hold a valid power of attorney and the notary’s state allows it.
Where to Find a Notary
Notaries are easier to find than most people expect. Banks and credit unions are the most common option and often provide the service free to account holders. UPS Store and FedEx Office locations typically have a notary on duty during business hours. Law firms, insurance agencies, real estate offices, and title companies almost always have one on staff.
If you can’t travel — you’re in a hospital, at home, or stuck at a worksite — a mobile notary will come to you. Mobile notaries add a travel fee on top of the standard per-signature cost. Travel fees are not capped in most states and can run anywhere from $25 to over $100 depending on distance and time of day. Confirm the full price before booking.
Remote online notarization is the other option. You connect through a secure platform from a computer with a webcam and microphone, and the whole session is recorded.
What Happens at the Appointment
The notary looks at your ID, checking the photo, description, and expiration date against you. Once satisfied, they run a short verbal ceremony. For a jurat, you’ll raise your right hand and swear or affirm that the document’s contents are true. For an acknowledgment, you confirm that you’re signing voluntarily and that the signature is yours. The ceremony takes about thirty seconds.
You then sign while the notary watches. The notary fills out the notarial certificate — writing in the date, your name, and the type of act — and applies their seal or stamp, which shows the notary’s name, commission expiration date, and state of commission.2The Florida Statutes. Florida Statutes 117.05 Use of Notary Commission; Unlawful Use; Notary Fee; Seal; Duties Many states also require the notary to record the transaction in an official journal, logging the date, time, type of act, your name, and the ID you presented.3State of Delaware. Journal Requirements – Delaware Notary Public Once the stamp is on the paper, the notarization is complete and you take your document with you.
How Online Notarization Works
Remote online notarization lets you handle everything from a webcam. Before the video call starts, you go through identity verification. The platform checks your government ID — usually by having you upload a photo of it — and then runs a knowledge-based authentication quiz. You answer a series of questions pulled from public records and financial databases: past addresses, loan details, vehicle registration history. There’s a time limit, and if you fail, most platforms make you wait 24 hours before trying again.
Once you’re verified, you join a live video call with the notary. You apply an electronic signature to the digital document, and the notary attaches their own electronic seal and a tamper-evident digital certificate. Any alteration to the document after signing becomes detectable. After the session ends, you download the completed document.
Some document types are often excluded from online sessions even in states that authorize them. Wills are the most common exclusion — several states still require wills to be notarized in person. Trusts, powers of attorney, advance healthcare directives, and certain real estate instruments are restricted in some states as well. If your document falls into any of these categories, confirm with the platform or a local attorney before scheduling.
What It Costs
Most states cap the fee a notary can charge per signature or per notarial act. Statutory maximums range from $2 in states like New York and Georgia to $25 in Rhode Island, with most states falling between $5 and $15. About ten states — including Alaska, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Massachusetts — set no cap, though competition tends to keep prices reasonable.
Online sessions cost more than walking into a bank. Expect roughly $25 for the first document and about $10 for each additional document in the same session. The higher price covers the platform’s technology, the identity verification, and the video recording.
Mobile notaries add a travel fee that varies with distance and timing and is largely unregulated. The cheapest option, if you qualify, is usually your own bank.
Acknowledgment or Jurat: You Have to Pick
The notarial certificate attached to your document is either an acknowledgment or a jurat, and the difference matters.
An acknowledgment confirms that you appeared before the notary and declared the signature to be yours. You don’t swear to the truth of the contents, only that you signed voluntarily. Real estate deeds and most contracts use acknowledgments.4State of Michigan Office of the Great Seal. Acknowledgement vs Jurat
A jurat requires you to take an oath or affirmation that the contents are true, then sign in the notary’s presence. Affidavits, court pleadings, and any document where truthfulness carries legal consequences use jurats.4State of Michigan Office of the Great Seal. Acknowledgement vs Jurat Lying under a jurat can constitute perjury.
Your document should specify which type it needs, usually in a pre-printed certificate block near the signature line. If it doesn’t, the notary can attach a separate certificate, but choosing the type is your responsibility, not theirs. A notary who picks for you may be crossing into the unauthorized practice of law.
Why a Notary Might Refuse You
Notaries are required to refuse in several situations. Knowing them saves a wasted trip.
- You can’t produce acceptable, unexpired ID and don’t have a credible-witness arrangement set up.
- The document has blank spaces, missing pages, or unsigned sections beyond the line you’re about to sign.
- You already signed a document that requires a jurat, so the notary cannot witness what has already happened.
- You appear confused, incoherent, or pressured by someone else in the room. Several states explicitly authorize refusal when the notary suspects coercion or that the signer doesn’t understand the document.
- You aren’t physically present for an in-person notarization. No exceptions, however routine the document.
- The notary has a conflict of interest — their own signature, a financial stake beyond the standard fee, or, in states like Florida, a close family relationship with the signer. If the notary is related to you or involved in the deal, find someone else; a conflict can later invalidate the notarization.
If you’re refused, the notary should tell you why. Usually the fix is quick: better ID, a completed field, or a different notary.
What a Notary Cannot Do
Notaries are not lawyers unless they’re separately licensed as attorneys. A notary cannot tell you which document you need, advise you on how to fill it out, recommend whether to use an acknowledgment or a jurat, or give any opinion about the legal effect of what you’re signing. Doing any of that would be the unauthorized practice of law.
A notary can describe the general difference between types of notarial acts, but the choice is yours. If you’re unsure what your document requires or whether it will accomplish what you need, talk to an attorney before the appointment, not the notary at the counter.
Using the Document in Another State or Country
A document properly notarized in one state is recognized in every other state. Every state has an interstate recognition law giving out-of-state notarizations the same legal effect as a local one, and the notarization’s validity is judged by the law of the state where the notary performed the act.
International use is different. If the document is going to another country, you may need an apostille — a standardized certificate recognized by countries party to the 1961 Hague Convention. State-issued documents get an apostille from the secretary of state’s office in the state where the notarization happened.5U.S. Department of State. Preparing a Document for an Apostille Certificate Federal documents get apostilles from the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications. Countries not part of the Hague Convention require an authentication certificate instead. Plan for extra time and fees either way.