The Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (DOS), has adopted a new administrative rule with an important reporting requirement for Online Notaries Public.
We understand the growing concern surrounding coronavirus (COVID-19) for people everywhere, including notaries, and share in the collective duty of businesses to do their part to help end this epidemic.
When performing the notarization of a document, most notaries public focus on the signer:
The document itself, however, is just as important.
One of the requirements to be commissioned as a notary public, in the state of Florida, is to complete a notary education course.
Unless necessary and pertinent to their employment, most people are not aware of the spectrum of duties that a notary public in Florida is authorized to perform. Additionally, the risks and responsibilities that go along with every notarization, are often overlooked.
The duties that a notary public is authorized to perform varies from state to state. As a notary public in Florida, you are permitted to execute 6 different notarial acts under your commission. To avoid future issues with liability, it is imperative to know exactly what each of these acts entail.
Wills are very legal documents. As such, it is important that you, as a notary public, know your role in the notarization of a will, as well as what you can and cannot legally do in these situations.
Image courtesy of hyena reality at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
What should a Florida notary do when a person is recently married and asking for documents to be notarized?
If your application to become a notary public is not accepted, it will be given one of two statuses: Rejected or Denied. While they may sound like the same thing, they are not and the process to re-apply is different for each.
Yes, as a notary public you can notarize handwritten documents, in certain circumstances. As always, you have to be careful, trust your gut and follow protocol.