State government appoints a Notary Public to serve the public as an impartial witness in performing a variety of official fraud-deterrent acts related to the signing of important documents. These official acts are called notarizations, or notarial acts. Notary's duty is to screen the signers of these documents for their true identity and their willingness to sign without duress or intimidation.
The Code of Virginia specifies five basic notarial acts:
Advance Medical Directives • Legal Documents • Vehicle and Motor Transfers • Affidavit of Incapacity • Community Service Affidavit • Designee Agreement • Identity Form • Letter of Explanation • Verification of Residency • I-9 identity and employment verification • Real Estate Closings • Mortgage Loans • Witness Statements • General Durable Powers of Attorney, and more!
**Last Will & Testament (in person notarization only) - In Virginia, you do not need to notarize your Will to make it legal. However, Virginia allows you to make your Will "self-proving." Self-proving will speed up probate as the court can accept the Will without contacting the witnesses who signed it.To make your Will self-proving, you and your witnesses will go to the Notary and sign an affidavit that proves who you are and that each of you knew you were signing the Will.
What a Notary is NOT able to Notarize
**I am NOT an Attorney. Therefore, by law, I cannot explain or interpret the contents of any document for you. I cannot explain how to complete or fill out a document. By doing so, I would be engaging in the unauthorized practice of law and could face penalties that include the possibility of incarceration. Questions about your documents will need to be addressed to the person you received the document from, such as Title Company, Attorney or Lender, etc.**
*Travel Fee $25*
