Notary Public

A notary public is a person commissioned by a state government to serve as an impartial witness for the signing of important documents — verifying the signer's identity, confirming they're signing willingly and (for some documents) under oath, and then certifying that with an official signature and seal. The point of the role is fraud deterrence: a notarized signature is harder to later dispute or forge, because a state-authorized third party has already confirmed who really signed and that they did so knowingly.

A notary is not a lawyer and cannot give legal advice, draft legal documents on your behalf, or determine whether a document is legally valid — their role is limited to identity verification and witnessing the signature itself. Notary commissions are issued and regulated at the state level, which is why requirements (commission length, bond, training, what a notary can charge) vary significantly depending on where you are.

What a Notary Actually Checks

• Government-issued photo ID confirming who you are
• That you're signing (or acknowledging a signature) willingly, not under duress
• For a jurat specifically, that you swear the document's contents are true — see the jurat vs. acknowledgment entry below for the distinction