Recently a signer presented Mexican ID issued by the Mexican consulate. I was not sure whether I can accept the ID issued by Mexican Consulate for notarization. As per Notary Handbook, I can accept  ” Driver license issued by Mexican public agency authorized to issue driver’s license”.  I thought it would be  wise and safe to say “Sorry, I need to check whether I can accept this ID for notarization or not” and rescheduled the appointment for another day.

Later I found out, An ID issued by the Mexican consulate (Matricula Consular card)  is not an acceptable form of identification that a California Notary can use when identifying a signer.

I was really saved and  Thank God.. I did not carry out the notarization.

Each year, the NNA’s Notary of the Year Selection Committee chooses from an impressive group of nominees who best exemplify the ideals of integrity, impartiality, competence, selflessness and public service in the critical role of protecting the citizenry from ID theft and document fraud. The Notary of the Year Award is the very highest honor given to Notaries Public in the United States.

This award is given annually to the American Notary Public whose highly dedicated, exemplary and ethical service to the community has distinguished this individual from all other Notaries.

Thank you all for your support, nomination, recommendation and of course for your business!. Sincerely appreciated.

Please wish me good luck for the Notary of the year 2012 award in June.

Thank you

Nathan Ganeshan

The Notary of the Year Award is the very highest honor given to Notaries Public in the United States who best exemplify the ideals of integrity, impartiality, competence, selflessness and public service in the critical role of protecting the citizenry from ID theft and document fraud.

Thank you all for your support, nomination, recommendation and of course for your business!

As per California law Notaries are required to take signers’ thumbprints for certain transactions. Ie., deed, quitclaim deed, or deed of trust affecting real property or a power of attorney document. . However its always a good practice to take thumbprint for all the notarization from every signer because of its value in deterring fraud and providing evidence to law enforcement officials

As a Notary over the last 5+ years, I have been taking Thumbprint for all the notarization from every signer.. no exception!

Thank you for your understanding.

Yes. Notaries can notarize the signature on the foreign language document. The document does NOT need to be in a language that Notary can read. However the name of the signer and the notarial certificate (notary wordings) must be in English. Importantly, the Notary must be able to communicate directly with the signer in the language both Notary and signer can speak. Notary cannot use translator. Hope this helps.

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One of the most common identity challenge occurs when a signer’s name in a document or their signature does not match the name on the identification document presented to you. As a Notary, I always apply the general rule of “less, but not more.” In other words, the name or signature on the document can be less than what appears on the ID, but not more.

For example, if the name on the ID card is “Jane A. Smith.” We accept the name “Jane Smith,” “J.A. Smith” or “J. Smith” on the document. However, we can not accept “Jane Alice Smith” or “Jane Smith-Burns.”

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Whether or not a signer is required to sign the document before a Notary depends on the notarial wording. Ie., whether the document has Acknowledgement wordings or Jurat wordings in the document.

Acknowledgment “….whose name is subscribed to the within instrument and acknowledged to me that he/she executed the same in his/her authorized capacity……”

For an acknowledgment, the document does not have to be signed in the Notary’s presence. They could have signed the document last week (or last year), but they must appear before the Notary at the time of notarization to acknowledge having signed the document.

Jurat “Subscribed and sworn to, before me……”

The wording in a jurat says the signer took an oath/affirmation to the accuracy of the contents of the document and signed in the presence of the Notary.

However its always a good practice to sign the documents in front of a Notary.

Notary Publics are prohibited by law from rendering any kind of legal advice of any nature during or in conjunction with a Notarial Act. If you have any questions, please consult an attorney PRIOR to Notarization.

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It  is important that the signer and the Notary should be able to  communicate in the same language, without the reliance on a third party  to determine the signer’s awareness of the document and willingness to  sign.

Notary Publics are prohibited by law from rendering any kind of legal  advice of any nature during or in conjunction with a Notarial Act. If  you have any questions, please consult an attorney PRIOR to  Notarization.

© Any information or the contents from my blog or  from my website cannot  be reproduced without my written permission.  They are copyrighted.

As per California law, Notary can notarize only the signature on the written statements. Notary cannot notarize a photograph.

However,  in a separate paper, if the signer affix the photograph, writes a  statement  describing the photograph,sign the statement, then the Notary  can notarize the signer’s signature on the statement.

Notary cannot  affix the notary seal on the photograph. Hope this helps.

Notary Publics are prohibited by law from rendering any kind of legal advice of any nature during or in conjunction with a Notarial Act. If you have any questions, please consult an attorney PRIOR to Notarization.

© Any information or the contents from my blog or from my website cannot  be reproduced without my written permission. They are copyrighted.

- Available 7 days a week ( including Saturday, Sunday & holidays)

- Flexible hours. Monday to Friday ( after 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.) which is the most convenient time for many signers to sign the documents. Who has the time to take time off from their busy work, kids schedule and go to a Notary office. I will come to your doorstep ( nominal travel fee may apply in some cases) and take care of your notary needs.

Nathan can be easily reached in many ways

• Email ( most preferred)
• Online contact page on my website (http://www.nathannotary.com/contact/)
• Facebook (www.facebook.com/nathannotary).
• Google chat ( ID : nathannotary@gmail.com
• Yahoo chat ( ID : nathannotary@yahoo.com)
• Over phone ( 408 685 3443)

Looking forward to serving your notary needs.