The document must be completely filled out – no blank spaces. The document must be in English, so our Clerks are easily able to read it. The signer(s) must be competent and fully understand the document being notarized. The signer(s) must be willing to sign without being coerced.
In the United States, a notary public is a person appointed by a state government, e.g., the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, or in some cases the state legislature, and whose primary role is to serve the public as an impartial witness when important documents are signed.
Yes. While using a remote notarization system/platform a notary public must adhere to all the requirements as set forth in the Michigan Law on Notarial Acts (MiLONA), as amended.
When living in Brazil, a common day to day necessity any person may have is going to a public notary, known in Portuguese as “Cartório”. This is because of our legal system, which requires certain acts and documents to be legalized in order to be recognized as valid in the country.
The U.S. Embassy, Consulates, and Consular Agencies in Brazil provide notary services. They are available for all nationalities and available by appointment only.
Second, yes, a document may be notarized in a foreign country by a notarial officer of that country or by a U.S. citizen taking the document to a U.S. consulate to be notarized by a U.S. consular officer.
The document must be completely filled out – no blank spaces. The document must be in English, so our Clerks are easily able to read it. The signer(s) must be competent and fully understand the document being notarized. The signer(s) must be willing to sign without being coerced.
Although the State of Michigan does not require a notary public to complete a notary journal by law, it is considered “best practice” to maintain a notary journal to protect the notary public from lawsuits and potential liabilities.
(1) A notary public shall place his or her signature on every record upon which he or she performs a notarial act. The notary public shall sign his or her name exactly as his or her name appears on his or her application for commission as a notary public.