Public Notary Services

A notary public is an individual commissioned by the Secretary of State to perform a notarial act and is a considered a “public ministerial officer” who is an impartial agent of the state commissioned to witness notarial writings and signatures. One of the main responsibilities of a public notary is to confirm the identity of the signer of a document through personal knowledge, a credible witness and/or identification card or papers. Also, a notary public ensures the signer is under his/her own free will, and there to witness the actual signing. The overall purpose of the notary public is fraud prevention in document signatures and certification.

An individual commissioned by the state can notarize signatures and documents and perform notarizing acts as set forth by the Secretary of State of their respective state. 

A notary bond or notary public surety bond is designed only to provide a limited source of funds for paying claims against the notary public. For example, California law requires every notary public to file an official bond in the amount of $15,000 prior to being able to receive the notary license commission to perform notarization services. The amount and rules regarding notary bonds will differ from state to state. One added detail for California notary publics is that the surety bond must cover all 4 years that the commission is valid. (Government Code sections 8212 to 8214).

Notarizing a document or signature entails a few steps, but will depend on your specific notarization act. For the most widely performed notary public services, VIP Notary Services will come to where ever you are in West LA and the greater Los Angeles area. We will review your documents to make sure they are ready to be notarized. If printing is required, please let us know in advance and we will be happy to accommodate at no additional charge. The commissioned public notary will: verify the identity of the signers, confirm that the signers understand what they are signing / signing under their own free will, witness the signature(s), log the notarization act in the notary journal book, collect fingerprints as required and complete a notarial certificate. In some cases, an oath or affirmation is required. 

There are some set notary public fees as set forth by each state. Government Code section 8211 specifies the maximum fees that may be charged for notary public services. However, services other than those listed from the notary handbook of CA below may have varying prices. It’s best to give us a call to get a price estimate on our services.
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When notarizing a document, use the county in which the notarization is taking place (where the person / person(s) are / is present for signing. Although a public notary may have taken the oath in a specific county and their respective notary seal states a specific county, a notary public agent can perform notarization services anywhere in the state that the commission was obtained in. Therefore, they can notarize documents in any county in the state where they have a valid license to do so.