Monday, April 18, 2021 by the American Association of Notaries
Original article here: https://www.floridanotaries.com/notary-article/what-is-a-florida-notary
A Florida notary is a public officer appointed and commissioned by the Florida Governor. Florida notary law authorizes a Florida notary to perform the following notarial acts:
How Do I Become a Florida Notary?
How Long Does It Take to Become a Florida Notary?
Your Florida notary application, if completed correctly, normally take from two to three weeks to process. Once the Governor’s Office approves your Florida notary application, they will forward your notary commission certificate to our office. We will then prepare your notary stamp and mail it you along with the notary commission certificate. The most common reason for rejected Florida notary application are:
How Do I Start the Florida Notary Application Process?
The American Association of Notaries has been helping Florida notaries since 2006. We are your one-stop shop for all your Florida notary needs. We can issue notary bonds and are an approved notary application vendor with the Florida Governor’s Office. This means we are authorized to file notary applications on your behalf. We are also a notary stamp manufacturer. All notary stamps and supplies are manufactured in-house, and we guarantee our notary stamps for the duration of your notary commission.
Follow these steps to start your notary application process:
Once your application is approved, we will mail you your notary commission certificate and notary stamp. Click her to start to become a Florida notary.
BY CLAY MASON
Original article here: https://www.superiornotaryservices.com/blog/notarizing-out-of-state-documents/
As a notary public, you might be wondering whether you can legally notarize documents from out-of-state clients. A client may create/receive a document in Texas, for instance, and then travel to Florida to request a notarization. Being that laws governing notarial acts within the U.S. vary from state to state, it’s important for the notary public to familiarize him or herself with their respective state’s laws before agreeing to conduct a notarial act.
So, can a notary public notarize out-of-state documents? The short answer is yes, notary publics are legally allowed to notarize documents from any state as long the notarial act is conducted within the geographical boundaries of the notary’s state of commission. Going back to the example mentioned above, a notary public who’s commissioned in Florida can notarize a document that was created in Texas, so long as the act is done in Florida. The notary public can not travel to Texas to perform a notarial, unless he or she is commissioned in Texas.
Bordering States
There are some cases in which a notary public is legally allowed to act as a notary in multiple states. Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota are just a few states that allow notary publics to act as notaries in bordering states – assuming the bordering state also has this law. A notary public in Montana, for instance, can notarize documents in both Wyoming and North Dakota. Only some states allow this practice, though, so don’t assume that it’s acceptable throughout the country.
Which State’s Law Should I Follow?
The laws of the state in which the notarial act takes place supersedes those of the state from which the document originated. This means the Florida notary public would have to follow Florida’s laws when performing the notarial act on a Texas document, not Texas’ laws. Don’t make the mistake of following the laws from which the document came, as this can place a notary in hot water.
Venue
When notarizing an out-of-state document, the notary public should check the certificate to ensure the state and country listed in the venue section accurately reflect the state in which the notarial act takes place. Some certificates may have this information pre-filled with information reflecting the state of origin. But if a client takes the document across state lines, the notary public must change this information. Crossing through this line and entering the appropriate should suffice.
The Bottom Line…
To recap, notary publics are allowed to notarize out-of-state documents. When doing so, however, the notary should follow the laws of his or her state of commission. It’s also important for notary publics to carefully read the wording within the notarial certificate to ensure it accurately follows the laws.