The need to have notarized documents is a fact of life. Notaries in California typically acknowledge that the person signing a certain document is the person on the ID presented. Verifying identities is by far the most common request we receive while notarizing documents in Los Angeles County. There are of course other things that notaries In California can do, but that’s a subject for another blog post.
Today we would like to tell you about the top 5 most common mistakes a notary can make. The reason is not necessarily to amuse our readers, but to help create a sense of awareness, so if you need to notarize your next document, you can “keep an eye” on the notary public, and avoid having to go back a second time to do it correctly…
Number 5 – Forgetting to sign the notarized document has happened in the past. Between checking IDs, verifying expiration dates, transcribing the type of document, etc. notaries in California sometimes forget one of the most essential parts of a notarization: their signatures!
Number 4 – Accepting incomplete or incorrect pre-printed acknowledgments or jurat. Occasionally customers come in with ancient outdated forms. It’s up to the notary to verify that indeed the notary language provided is still current. For example, a few years ago, the California legislature added the “under penalty of perjury” part to the California notary acknowledgment. So if you try – for example – to record a quitclaim deed using that language, it will be rejected by the County Recorder because it’s not updated.
Number 3 – Notarizing I-9 employment forms. I-9 is the Department of Homeland Security form that employers need to fill out before employing a person. The employers or an authorized representative needs to verify the authenticity of the IDs submitted as proof of work eligibility (passport, green card, etc.). Occasionally large employers tell perspective employees to have it notarized as a substitute for the verification of such IDs. Unfortunately in California a notary cannot do that, because establishing the authenticity of IDs is not one of the scopes of a California notary.
Number 2 – Accepting Mexican consulate IDs. Unfortunately Mexican consulate IDs, although widely used by Mexican residents here in Southern California, cannot be used for the notary purpose of identifying a person.
Number 1 – And the number one mistake notaries in California make is – incredibly – forgetting to stamp the document with the notary seal!
At each store of The Document People there is at least one notary on staff at all times. We are certainly not perfect, but we sure try to get all our notarized documents done right the first time!
The Document People is a network of legal document assistants and notary public who share a common purpose: helping customers with legal document preparation and forms. We are looking forward to offering you notary services in Los Angeles. We can help with your notary at the We the People office Woodland Hills, We The people office Santa Monica and We the People office Glendale. Also in San Fernando, Torrance, Anaheim and Oceanside as The Document People.
The information contained in this blog – including information of a legal nature – is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter.