Questions people actually ask

A notary public is a person the State of California authorises to check who you are and to watch you sign a document. The notary looks at your photo ID, records the act in a journal, watches you sign, then signs and stamps the page. That is the whole job.

A notary does not read your document for meaning. A notary does not approve it, correct it, or promise anyone will accept it.

The stamp proves one thing. The person named appeared in front of the notary, proved their identity, and signed. California puts this in the acknowledgment form itself: the notary "verifies only the identity of the individual who signed the document ... and not the truthfulness, accuracy, or validity of that document." (Civil Code 1189)

So a notarized document can still be a bad document. The stamp says nothing about what it contains.

They are two different notarial acts. An acknowledgment means you confirm the signature is yours and that you signed it. A jurat means you swear the contents are true, and you must sign in front of the notary. Whoever receives your document decides which one you need. The notary cannot decide for you. The full explanation, with a comparison table →

Two ways to find out which one you need. Ask the person who wants the document: "Does this need an acknowledgment or a jurat?" Or look at the last page of your document. If it already says one of those words, you are set.

Sign in front of the notary. Bring the document unsigned. A jurat legally requires you to sign in the notary's presence. An acknowledgment does not. Most people do not know which one they have, so unsigned is always the safe choice. If it is already signed, bring it anyway and ask.

The notarization itself does not expire. There is no date after which the stamp stops counting. What can expire is the recipient's patience. Banks, title companies and foreign consulates often want a document signed within the last three to six months. That is their rule, not a state rule. Ask them before you sign.

California lists the acceptable IDs by law. The common ones are a California driver's licence or ID card, a US passport, a driver's licence or ID card from another US state, a Canadian or Mexican driver's licence, a US military ID, a valid foreign passport, a state or local government employee ID, a tribal ID, and a consular ID.

Full list, plus the ones that never work, on the What to Bring page. The card must be current or issued within the last five years. (Civil Code 1185)

Maybe not. California accepts an expired ID if it was issued within the last five years. So check the issue date, not just the expiry date. A licence that expired last year but was issued three years ago is fine. A licence that expired last year but was issued six years ago is not.

On a California licence the issue date sits near the expiry date, often labelled "ISS". On a US passport it is the "Date of issue" line.

California allows credible witnesses instead. Two people who personally know you come with you, each with their own valid photo ID, and swear under oath that you are who you say you are. One witness is enough if that person personally knows the notary. The witnesses must not be named in your document or have money riding on it.

One catch. The credible witness route is for people who genuinely cannot get an acceptable ID, not for people who left theirs at home. The witnesses swear that too. (Civil Code 1185)

Say so when you book, so extra time is set aside.

The notary and the signer need to understand each other directly. The Secretary of State's handbook says an interpreter should not be used, because information can be lost in translation, and that a signer should be referred to a notary who speaks their language. So book a notary who speaks the language, including when the interpreter would be a family member.

The document itself can be in any language. A notary can notarize a signature on a document they cannot read, because the notary is confirming the signer, not the contents. (Notary Public Handbook)

Sometimes. It depends on the day, and nobody can promise you in advance. The signer has to understand what she is signing and want to sign it. If she seems confused, or is signing because a relative is pushing her, the notary has to stop. That is true of any notary you call.

Plan for the possibility of no. If capacity is genuinely in doubt, talk to an elder law attorney first. There are legal routes for someone who can no longer sign. A notary is not one of them.

$10 for each document notarized. A mobile visit adds a flat $75 travel fee.

Per document. Each document the notary stamps is one fee, no matter how long it is. A twelve-page trust with one acknowledgment at the end is one document, so one fee. The $10 covers up to two signers on that document, so if two people sign the same form it is still $10. Each signer past the second adds $5. Price is the same whether the appointment takes ten minutes or forty.

We charge $10 for each document the notary stamps, covering up to two signers. Page count and document length do not change the price. A mobile visit adds a flat $75 travel fee, and the $75 does not change with the number of documents. You are told the total before you book, and the travel fee is listed separately from the notarization fee.

Sometimes you should use your bank. If you are a customer, your document is simple, and you can get to the branch during banking hours, save your money.

Bank notaries are limited, though. They serve their own customers, at the branch, one signer at a time. They often decline anything unusual, including estate packages, deeds, documents missing a certificate page, and several signers at once. If any of that describes your job, call ahead before you drive over.

No, not for a California notarization. California law requires you to be physically in front of the notary. The Secretary of State is explicit: a video image is not a personal appearance, so a webcam notarization by a California notary is not valid. (Notary Public Handbook, state customer alerts)

It did. SB 696, the Online Notarization Act, was signed in 2023. It is being phased in in stages. The parts that would actually let a California notary work over audio and video do not start until the Secretary of State finishes its technology project, or January 1, 2030, whichever comes first.

Until then, plan on meeting in person. Full status, and what works instead →

Be careful. Many of those notaries are commissioned in other states, not California. Whether their notarization is accepted depends entirely on who receives your document. California county recorders and title companies reject them regularly. Some banks and consulates do too.

Ask the recipient first, and ask in writing. If they hesitate, do it in person.

No. They are two different roles, and this catches almost everyone. A notary checks your ID and stamps the document. A witness is an ordinary person who watches you sign and then signs the document themselves. Some documents need both. A notary stamp does not fill a witness line.

No. A typed California will has to be signed by at least two witnesses who are present at the same time and understand that the document is your will. A notary stamp does not replace them. (Probate Code 6110)

A court can sometimes save a badly executed will if there is clear and convincing evidence you meant it to be your will. That is a court fight nobody wants. Get the two witnesses.

You need to bring them. We notarize, but we do not supply witnesses.

A witness must be an adult who is not named in the document and does not benefit from it. A neighbour, a colleague or a friend usually works. Each witness needs their own photo ID if they are also being notarized.

More on estate documents →

Usually a bad idea. Someone who inherits under the document, or is named in it, is the person whose witnessing gets challenged later. Use people with nothing to gain.

For an advance healthcare directive California sets actual rules. Your healthcare agent cannot witness it. Neither can your healthcare provider or their employee, or the operator or an employee of a community care facility or a residential care facility for the elderly. At least one witness must be someone who is not related to you by blood, marriage or adoption and who does not inherit from you. (Probate Code 4674)

Ask the attorney who drafted it.

Either one. A written advance healthcare directive is valid if it is acknowledged before a notary public, or if it is signed by two qualifying witnesses. You do not need both. (Probate Code 4673)

One extra rule. If the person is a patient in a skilled nursing facility, a patient advocate or ombudsman must also sign as a witness. (Probate Code 4675)

For most real uses, yes. A document generally has to be acknowledged before it can be recorded against California property. (Gov. Code 27287)

Expect to give a thumbprint. California requires the notary to take your right thumbprint in the journal for a power of attorney, and for a deed, quitclaim deed, deed of trust or other document affecting real property. (Gov. Code 8206)

No. In California, certified copies of birth, death and marriage records come only from the State Registrar, a local registrar, or the county recorder. A notary cannot make one. Links here.

A California notary can certify a copy of a power of attorney, and copies of their own journal. That is the whole list. (Gov. Code 8205)

No. The notary also should not work through an interpreter to talk to you. If you need a translation, get a certified translation separately, before the appointment.

No. That is legal advice, and a notary who is not an attorney cannot give it. Ask the person who drafted the document, or an attorney.

No. A notary can point out a blank you missed. A notary cannot tell you what to write in it.

For an acknowledgment, yes. You still have to appear in person with your ID. For a jurat, no. A jurat requires you to sign in front of the notary, so you would sign again.

The usual reasons: no acceptable ID and no credible witnesses; the signer seems confused or pressured; the document has blank spaces, which a notary is required to refuse; the notary and the signer cannot understand each other; or the notary has a direct financial interest in the transaction. (Gov. Code 8205, Gov. Code 8224)

Ask why. A good notary will tell you what would fix it.

No. In many Latin American countries a notario público is a licensed attorney who can advise you. In California a notary public is not a lawyer and cannot advise or represent you on immigration or anything else. California even bans a notary from translating the title into "notario público" for this reason. (Gov. Code 8219.5)

If someone tells you otherwise, they are misleading you. Do not pay them.

That is the most common overseas request here. Each one has its own page with the steps in order.

• Documents for India, overview
• OCI applications
• Indian passport renewal
• Power of attorney for India

The document can be in any language. The notarization itself is in English. A notary can notarize a signature on a document written in a language the notary does not read, because the notary is confirming who signed, not what it says.

That depends on the country receiving it, and whatever comes next is not a notarial act. You file it, not the notary. The India pages above set out the order for the most common case. For everything else, start with the official links.

Yes. book an office appointment online, or call or text (925) 319-8855.

Two ways. For the Pleasanton office, book an office appointment online — a real calendar, your own choice of slot, and a confirmation with reschedule and cancel links. It needs four hours' notice.

For a visit to you, call or text (925) 319-8855. Mobile visits are booked by phone so the address, the timing and the parking get checked first. Anything needed inside four hours goes through the phone as well.

You pay at the appointment either way. Details →

Bonded with a $15,000 California surety bond, which California law requires of every notary.

A surety bond is not insurance for you. It protects the public. If a notary commits misconduct, a claim can be made against the bond up to that amount, and the notary has to repay it. What is covered is performing the notarial act correctly. It is not cover for what your document says, or for whether someone else accepts it.

Every active California notary is listed publicly. Look it up on the California Secretary of State notary listing.

Commission 2564263, expiring Aug 16, 2030.