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State law strictly prohibits Notaries from practicing law. Notaries should never provide legal advice on any matter related to a document unless they are attorneys or professionals certified or licensed in a relevant area of expertise.

It is a notarial act involving the Notary Public certifying that they personally identified a document signer who appeared before them and freely admitted to signing the document. This act serves as evidence that the acknowledging party personally appeared before the Notary Public and that their acknowledgment was voluntary. It also identifies the acknowledging party by name, which corresponds to the name in the document. The Notary Public signs the document and seals it with their official stamp or seal, which further proves the authenticity of the signature.

It is a notarial act that involves a Notary witnessing the signing of a document and administering an oath or affirmation.

The Notary’s role in executing a jurat is to appeal to the signer’s conscience and initiate a process that could lead to a criminal conviction for perjury if the signer is lying under oath.

During the execution of a jurat, the Notary must observe the signer’s signature and then require the signer to make either a solemn, verbal promise of truthfulness to a Supreme Being (an oath) or a promise on one’s honor (an affirmation). Both oaths and affirmations carry the same legal significance.

Jurats are commonly used in documents that may be presented as evidence in court proceedings, such as depositions and affidavits.

There are a few reasons why notary public, by law, must refuse to notarize the document:

• The notary cannot verify the identity of the signer;

• The notary has a beneficial or financial interest in the document;

• The notary is unable to communicate with the signer (the person is not mentally competent to sign);

• The notary knows that the transaction is fraudulent;

• The notary public has reasonable grounds to believe that the signer is being coerced or appears incapable of understanding the nature of the document.

• The signer did not personally appear before the notary at the time of the notarization to confirm that he/she signed the document;

• The document contains blank spaces;

Notary Public cannot make “certified,” “attested,” or “true” copies in New York State.

Only a few states allow Notaries to make “attested” or “true” copies” – CA—POAs only, CO, ID, ME, MN, MO, MT, NH, ND, OK, PA, VT, WA, WV, WI, WY.

At Notary911, we will notarize signatures on foreign documents only if the signer possesses a valid photo ID and comprehends the nature of the document they are signing. We will affix an English notarial certificate to the document.

Furthermore, the signer and the Notary must be conversant in the same language, eliminating the possibility of misinterpretation by a third party, whether intentional or unintentional.