Quiz: Can Notaries do this?

Answer: No. Notaries are not authorized to use their commissions, title of “Notary Public” or Notary seals to endorse events or products.

Answer: Yes. A Notary is authorized to administer a verbal oath or affirmation to an individual, even if there is no written signature or document involved.

Answer: No. Sometimes customers mistakenly believe that a Notary’s seal will automatically make a document legally binding in a court of law. This is not the case — a Notary simply verifies the identity of the signer, takes the signer’s acknowledgment of a signature, or witnesses the signing of documents. Simply affixing a Notary seal to a document without performing an authorized notarization or completing a notarial certificate is not allowed.

Answer: No. Notaries are not authorized to certify translations. While a Notary could notarize another translator’s signature on a declaration stating that the document was translated correctly, in this case it would not be possible because you may not notarize your own signature.

Answer: No.If a customer doesn’t know what type of notarization is needed, you may describe the different types of notarizations (such as acknowledgments or jurats) and let the signer pick what notarization they want. However, you should never choose the type of notarization on the signer's behalf. Doing so would be the unauthorized practice of law unless you are a qualified attorney.