You may not affix your Notary seal to a document that lacks notarial certificate wording. As nonattorneys, Notaries cannot decide the type of notarization to perform on a document because the choice can have important legal ramifications. Confronted with a tricky notarization?
A notary public is a public officer appointed by the Governor based on applications filed with the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State (SOS) to serve the public as a person legally empowered to witness and certify the validity of documents and to take affidavits and depositions.
Is a journal required? While Minnesota law does not require a journal, it is prudent of a notary public to keep one.
A notarial act must be evidenced by a Certificate of Notarial Act, also known as a short form or jurat.
One of the most common mistakes that notaries make is not printing or signing their name exactly as it appears on their notary commission.
Can you notarize in multiple states? Though the document notary must be present within the state that they are commissioned to notarize, the signer(s) can notarize from multiple states using Remote Online Notarization.
When there is no room for the Notary's seal: Many states have laws requiring a Notary's seal to be legible, and yet some documents provide insufficient space to affix a legible seal. If the seal will be placed over text or signatures in the document, it's time to complete and attach a separate certificate form.
If the title has a lien holder listed on it, the original signed lien release card or a notarized lien release from the lending institution listed on the title is required.
But there are some common mistakes made by notaries that places the document at risk for being invalid. Using White-Out. Illegible Notary Seal. Empty Fields Notary Certificate. Notarizing Without The Signer Present.