What is a Notarization?

I have seen many google, msn, and yahoo searches for an answer to "What is a notarization". I thought I would explain this in layman's terms for your convenience.

A notarization is an act performed by a public notary whereby the notary has either checked the identify of the signer of the document and verifies that the signer is, in fact, who they say they are OR it can also a circumstance where the public notary administers an oath to the signer, where the signer swears that the statement they have made in the document is true to the best of their knowledge. The first example is called an acknowledgment. That is when the notary verifies the identity of the signer. The second example is called a jurat. That is when the signer swears to the truth of some statement, such as is done in a court room.

A notary is actually a public official acting in the capacity of an uninvolved witness. When a document is notarized, such in the examples described above, the act of the notary checking the signer's identity, administering an oath to the signer to compel truthfulness, and signing and stamping the document lends credibility to the document so that it will have full force and effect. This is an important process that should be considered when entering into any written contract or written statement as it will confirm that the signer of the document was in fact the person they claimed to be.

I hope this explains notarization more clearly. If you have any further questions about this process, please send us an email. You can also check our Notary Public website for further information about public notary terms.