You can get a will notarized at a bank, a shipping or office-services store like The UPS Store, an attorney’s office, or through a mobile notary who comes to you. Remote online notarization is also available in 45 states and the District of Columbia as of early 2025. One thing to know before you go: notarization alone does not make a will legal. In nearly every state, what makes a will enforceable is signing it in front of two witnesses. The notary’s role is to handle a separate document called a self-proving affidavit, which attaches to the will and spares your family from tracking down those witnesses during probate.
Places That Notarize Wills
Four options cover most people, and each has a different trade-off on cost, convenience, and scheduling.
Banks and Credit Unions
Many banks offer notary services to account holders at no charge. Bank of America, for example, provides notarization for free.1Bank of America. Notary Services Call ahead. Not every branch has a notary on staff at all times, and you may need an appointment. You’ll also need to bring your witnesses with you, since all signers must appear before the notary together.
Shipping and Office-Services Stores
UPS Store locations and similar retail chains frequently have notaries on site, often with evening or weekend hours that banks don’t offer. Expect a per-signature fee set by state law. Most states cap notarial fees between $2 and $15 per act.
Attorney Offices
If a lawyer drafted your will, their office almost certainly has a notary and can handle the affidavit during your signing appointment. Many firms fold notarization into their estate planning fees, so there’s often no extra charge. This is the simplest route when you’re already working with counsel: the drafter, the witnesses, and the notary can all be in one room on one day.
Mobile Notaries
A mobile notary travels to your location — your home, a hospital room, or a care facility. This matters when the testator is elderly, homebound, or recovering from an illness. Travel fees typically run $25 to $75 or more depending on distance, on top of the per-signature fee. You can find mobile notaries through online directories or by asking a local title company or law firm for a referral.
Remote Online Notarization
As of early 2025, 45 states and the District of Columbia have enacted permanent laws allowing remote online notarization. You connect with a notary through a live video call, verify your identity with knowledge-based questions and digital ID checks, and sign electronically while the notary watches.
Whether remote notarization works for a will’s self-proving affidavit is a separate question from whether your state allows remote notarization generally. Some states that permit remote notarization for most documents still require wills to be executed in person with physically present witnesses. Confirm with your estate planning attorney or the online notarization service before relying on this route.
What the Notary Is Actually Doing
The notary is not making your will legal. A will is legally valid when it is in writing, signed by the testator, and witnessed by at least two adults. Only Colorado and North Dakota allow notarization to substitute for witnesses. Everywhere else, you need the witness signatures regardless.
What the notary does is help you execute a self-proving affidavit — a sworn statement, signed by you and your witnesses in front of the notary, confirming that the will was properly signed and that you were of sound mind. Without this affidavit, your witnesses may need to be located and brought into probate court after you die to testify that they saw you sign. That gets difficult if years have passed, witnesses have moved, or they’ve died. A self-proving affidavit lets the court accept the will on its face.2Legal Information Institute. Self-Proving Will
The Uniform Probate Code, adopted in whole or in part by roughly 18 states, provides a widely used template, and states that haven’t adopted it often follow a similar structure.3Legal Information Institute. Uniform Probate Code
The cleanest approach is to sign the will and execute the affidavit in one sitting:
- You sign the will in front of your two witnesses.
- Your witnesses sign the will in your presence and in each other’s presence.
- The notary administers an oath to you and your witnesses.
- Everyone signs the affidavit, and the notary applies their seal.
The affidavit is then attached to the will.
What to Bring and Who to Bring
Walking into a notary appointment without the right people or paperwork is the most common reason signings get rescheduled. Have these lined up before you go.
A valid government-issued photo ID for every signer. That’s you and both witnesses. The notary has to verify each person’s identity.
Your witnesses, physically present. The testator and both witnesses must appear before the notary at the same time. You cannot have a witness sign later or over video unless you’re using remote online notarization and your state permits it for wills.
Witnesses who don’t inherit under the will. Choose “disinterested” witnesses — people who aren’t named as beneficiaries. Most states have purging statutes: if a beneficiary serves as a witness, the will usually stays valid, but that witness-beneficiary risks losing some or all of their inheritance. Neighbors, coworkers, or staff at your attorney’s office are common choices. Witnesses need to be competent adults; they don’t have to read the will or know what’s in it.
A completed, final-version will. A notary cannot fix legal defects. They verify identities and administer oaths. The substance of the document is on you or your attorney. Read it carefully before signing day, because once the will is signed and the affidavit notarized, changes require a formal amendment (a codicil) or a new will.
The self-proving affidavit itself. If your will was drafted by an attorney or through a reputable online service, the affidavit should already be included as the final page or two. If you drafted the will yourself, look up your state’s statutory affidavit form or ask the notary whether they have a template; the exact wording matters.
Call ahead to whichever notary you’re using and confirm they can handle a will signing with multiple signers. Some retail notaries prefer appointments for anything beyond a single-signature document, and knowing this before you arrive with two witnesses in tow saves everyone a trip.