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National Notary Association

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VA House Bill 1262

Legislation

State: Virginia
Signed: April 13, 2026

Effective: July 01, 2026
Chapter: 763

Summary

House Bill 1262 increases penalties and expands the Attorney General's enforcement tools to combat notario fraud in Virginia.

Affects

Amends Section 47.1-15.1 of the Code of Virginia.

Changes
  1. Grants the Attorney General civil investigative demand authority whenever there is reasonable cause to believe a Notary has violated, is violating, or is about to violate the prohibition on unauthorized immigration-related advertising or legal services.
  2. Increases the civil penalty for a first violation of the advertising prohibition from $500 to $2,500 and for a second or subsequent violation from $1,000 to $5,000.
  3. Authorizes the Attorney General, in a civil enforcement action, to seek injunctive relief, recover restitution, and recover reasonable attorney fees and investigation expenses.
  4. Deposits all penalties recovered under the section into the Legal Aid Services Fund.
  5. Re-letters former subsection D (preemption savings clause) as subsection E to accommodate the new civil investigative demand provision.
Analysis

House Bill 1262 significantly strengthens enforcement of Virginia’s prohibition on Notaries Public engaging in the unauthorized practice of immigration law or advertising themselves using foreign-language titles such as “notario,” “notario publico,” or “licenciado.” The bill arms the Attorney General with civil investigative demand authority to proactively investigate suspected violations, increases civil penalties from $500 to $2,500 for a first offense and from $1,000 to $5,000 for subsequent offenses, and expressly authorizes the recovery of restitution, attorney fees, and investigation expenses in enforcement actions.

The NNA supports efforts to combat notario fraud, which exploits immigrant communities by fostering the false belief that a Notary Public in the United States holds the same authority as a “notario público” in Latin American countries.

Read House Bill 1262.

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