To notarize a document, you bring it along with valid government-issued photo ID to a commissioned notary public, confirm your identity and that you are signing voluntarily, and then either sign in front of the notary or acknowledge a signature you already made, so the notary can complete the certificate and apply an official seal. That is the whole process on how to notarize a document, whether you do it in person or over a secure video call. The details that matter — what to bring, which type of notarial act your document needs, and what it costs — are below.
What to Bring to the Appointment
The single most important item is current, government-issued photo identification. A driver’s license, state ID card, or passport works in every state. Military IDs are also widely accepted. Expired documents are rejected. If you don’t have acceptable ID, many states allow a credible witness who personally knows you to vouch for your identity under oath; that witness must have no financial interest in the transaction and must present their own valid ID.
Bring the document itself, and pay attention to its condition. Fill in every blank before you go. Blank fields are a red flag because someone could insert terms after the seal is applied, and most notaries will refuse to proceed if they see significant gaps. Whether you sign in advance depends on the type of notarial act the document calls for, covered below. If the document requires additional witnesses beyond the notary, they need to come with you and bring their own valid IDs.
Check the document for a notarial certificate — the block of text where the notary records the act. Most pre-printed legal forms include one. If yours doesn’t, the notary can usually attach a separate certificate, but confirming this beforehand saves a second trip.
Which Type of Notarial Act Your Document Needs
Different documents call for different notarial acts, and using the wrong one can make the document unenforceable. You, not the notary, are responsible for knowing which type applies — the notary choosing for you would cross into legal advice.
- Acknowledgment. The most common type. You tell the notary you signed voluntarily and understand what the document does. Real estate deeds and powers of attorney almost always use acknowledgments. You can sign the document beforehand and simply appear before the notary to confirm the signature is yours.
- Jurat. The notary administers an oath or affirmation, and you sign in front of them. This creates a sworn statement, so lying in it carries perjury consequences. Affidavits use jurats. Signing ahead of time won’t work; the notary must watch you sign.
- Oath or affirmation. A standalone verbal pledge to tell the truth, with no document involved. Deposition witnesses take oaths this way. An affirmation serves the same legal purpose for people who object to swearing on religious grounds.
- Copy certification. The notary certifies that a photocopy is a true reproduction of an original. Not all states authorize notaries to do this, and it generally cannot be used for vital records like birth certificates, which have their own certified-copy process through the issuing agencies.
What Happens During Notarization
The appointment is quicker than most people expect, but every step serves a specific anti-fraud purpose.
The notary starts by examining your ID, comparing the photo to your face and the name to the document. If something doesn’t match — a maiden name on the ID but a married name on the document, say — the notarization stalls until you resolve the discrepancy.
Next comes a screening that people underestimate. The notary is evaluating whether you understand what you’re signing and whether you’re doing it voluntarily. They may ask you to describe the document’s purpose in your own words, confirm no one is pressuring you, or ask who requested that you sign. If a family member or caregiver keeps answering for you, that’s a warning sign. If the notary suspects confusion, incapacity, or coercion, they are required to refuse. Notaries who skip this step risk their commissions.
Once the notary is satisfied, you sign the document (for a jurat) or confirm your existing signature (for an acknowledgment). The notary then completes the notarial certificate, signs it, and applies their stamp or seal. The stamp typically includes the notary’s name, commission number, and expiration date, though exact requirements vary by state.
Many states require the notary to record the transaction in a bound journal, including the date, the type of document, the signer’s name, the type of ID presented, and sometimes a description of the act performed. California requires a thumbprint in the journal for certain property and financial documents. Most states don’t mandate thumbprints, and some actively discourage collecting biometric data. Don’t be surprised if the notary skips the journal entirely; not every state requires one, though it’s widely considered best practice.
Where to Find a Notary and What It Costs
Notaries are easier to find than most people realize. Banks and credit unions are the most convenient option for account holders, and many offer free notarization as a customer perk or charge a nominal per-signature fee. Shipping and mailing centers operated by major couriers usually have a notary on staff during business hours. Law offices, real estate agencies, tax preparation firms, and insurance agencies frequently employ commissioned notaries. County clerk offices and other local government buildings are reliable options, particularly for documents headed to public records.
Fees are regulated at the state level. Maximum allowable fees for a standard in-person notarization run from as low as $2 per signature in some states to $25 per act in others, with most falling in the $5 to $15 range. Mobile notaries, who travel to your home, office, or hospital, charge the standard per-signature fee plus a travel fee that can run $25 to $75 or more depending on distance and metro-area demand. The travel fee is typically negotiated in advance and kept separate from the notarization fee.
Notarizing a Document Online
Remote online notarization, or RON, lets you get a document notarized over a secure video call from anywhere with an internet connection. As of early 2025, 44 states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws permitting RON.
Identity verification for RON is more rigorous than a typical in-person visit. Before the video session begins, you go through two automated checks. Credential analysis uses a third-party platform to examine the security features of your government-issued ID and confirm it matches issuing-agency records. Knowledge-based authentication asks you a series of personal questions pulled from public and credit records, such as which of several addresses you have lived at or the make of a car you once owned. You typically need to answer at least 80 percent correctly. Fail twice, and you’re locked out for at least 24 hours before trying again.
Once you clear those checks, the live video session begins. The notary verifies your identity on camera, watches you sign the electronic document, and applies a digital seal. The entire session is recorded and stored as a tamper-evident audiovisual record. RON fees tend to run $15 to $40 per notarization, more than a standard in-person visit but often cheaper than a mobile notary once travel fees are included.
If the Document Is Going Abroad
A notary seal recognized in your state means nothing in a foreign country unless you take an additional authentication step. Which step depends on whether the destination country is a member of the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, which currently includes 129 countries.1HCCH. Convention of 5 October 1961 – Status Table
For member countries, you need an apostille, a standardized certificate that verifies the notary’s seal and signature are legitimate. For documents notarized at the state level, the apostille comes from the secretary of state’s office in the state where the notarization occurred. For documents signed by a federal official, military notary, or foreign consul registered with the State Department, the apostille comes from the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications.2U.S. Department of State. Office of Authentications
For countries not in the Hague Convention, you need an authentication certificate instead, and the destination country may also require embassy or consulate legalization. Processing times for both apostilles and authentication certificates can stretch from days to weeks depending on demand and whether you submit by mail or in person.3USAGov. Authenticate an Official Document for Use Outside the U.S.
What a Notary Will Not Do
People often expect more from a notary than the role actually allows, especially in immigrant communities where “notario” in other countries can mean a licensed legal professional. In the United States, a notary public is a witness, not a lawyer.
A notary cannot give you legal advice about the document. They can’t explain what it means, tell you whether signing is a good idea, recommend which type of notarial certificate to use, or help you fill in blank fields. A properly trained notary will direct those questions to an attorney or to whoever issued the document. Crossing that line is the unauthorized practice of law.
A notary cannot notarize their own signature or notarize a document in which they are named as a party or have a financial interest. Impartiality is the whole point. If the notary is your spouse and stands to benefit from the transaction, find someone else.
A notary cannot notarize a document if the signer is not present. Mailing a document to a notary and asking them to stamp it does not work; face-to-face verification, or its remote-online equivalent, is the core function. Notaries can refuse service for legitimate reasons, but they generally cannot refuse based on the content of the document alone as long as it is legal and properly presented.