Frequently Asked Questions

A Notary Public is an individual who satisfies an individual state’s requirements and obtains a commission to verify the authenticity of signatures and signer’s identities on many types of documents. 

Commerce depends on the integrity of documents such as real estate deeds; financial contracts and agreements; and other legal and health care forms and documents. In order for some of these documents to be accepted, they are required to be notarized to help deter fraudulent activity. With the advent of computers, technology and the Internet today, there is an increasing amount of identity theft and corporate corruption that require businesses and organizations to have some form of checks and balances. Notarization acts as a balancing tool to help protect the public as well as the businesses from illegal and intentional fraudulent activities. 

 Florida law provides that a Florida notary public may charge up to $10 for performing any one notarial act under Part I of Chapter 117, Florida Statutes, excluding marriages. Notarial acts listed under Part I, for which a notary may charge up to $10, include the taking of acknowledgments, administering oaths, and the attestation of tangible or electronic records (also called “notarizing a copy” in Florida law) . A notary may also charge reasonable travel fees. 

An “Apostille” is a form of authentication issued to documents for use in countries that participate in the Hague Convention of 1961. A list of countries that accept apostilles is provided by the US State Department. If the country of destination is not a Hague Member, then those documents will need to be authenticated at the Country of Destination’s Embassy/Consulate. 

 A mobile notary public will come to your location to notarize your documents. They travel to banks, financial institutions, business offices, residences and other facilities. They offer convenient service hours and will schedule appointments for evenings and weekends as well as regular business hours. The State of Florida allows a notary to charge a travel fee in addition to the mandated $10.00 per signature fee  

In Florida, the list of acceptable IDs includes the following. These IDs must be current or issued within the past five years and include a serial or other ID number:

• A Florida identification card or driver’s license
• A U.S. passport
• A foreign passport if it is stamped by the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services
• Another state driver’s license or identification card issued by a U.S. state or a territory of the United States
• A Canadian or Mexican driver’s license or an identification card
• An identification card issued by any branch of the armed forces of the United States
• A veteran health identification card issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
• An inmate identification card issued on or after January 1, 1991, by the Florida Department of Corrections for an inmate who is in the custody of the department
• An inmate identification card issued by the United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Federal Prisons, for an inmate who is in the custody of the department
• A sworn, written statement from a sworn law enforcement officer that the forms of identification for an inmate in an institution of confinement were confiscated upon confinement and that the person named in the document is the person whose signature is to be notarized
• An identification card issued by the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services