A Notary Public is appointed by the state government to serve as an impartial witness during the signing of important documents, to take oaths and affirmations, and to acknowledge previously signed documents once identification of signers has been established. The purpose of this impartial witness and identity verification is to deter fraud, and to ensure signers have entered into agreements knowingly and willingly.

For most general Notary work in Washington state, a document that has a photograph, physical description, and the signature of the signer is acceptable. A driver’s license, government issue non-driving ID, military ID, passport, or Tribal ID that are expired by no more than three (3) years may be used for general notarizations, but financial documents such as loan or refinance documents require a current non expired identifying document.

Washington state allows for a credible identifying witness to swear or affirm to the identity of a signer. A credible identifying witness must be known to the document signer and must provide satisfactory evidence of his or her own identity. The witness should have no personal, beneficial or financial interest in the transaction requiring a notarial act. This allowance applies only for general notary work.

For many documents, yes. Certain affidavits, real estate deeds and other documents may not be legally binding unless they are properly Notarized.

No. Notaries are not responsible for the accuracy or legality of documents they Notarize. Notaries certify the identity of the signers. The signers are responsible for the content of the documents.

Absolutely not. A Notary is forbidden from preparing legal documents for others or acting as a legal advisor unless he/she is also an attorney.

In the case of loan signing packages, your loan signing agent is permitted to guide and explain what each document is and where to find that information in the documents, but specific questions about the details within the document should always be addressed with your loan officer or escrow agent.

All documents are received by password protected secure email, and once printed are held in a locked and secure location until deliverable to our signers, especially during transport. Once the documents are complete they are secured and shipped as instructed immediately. At no time is a signer or borrower’s sensitive information handled by any person not certified through official background check and bonded through the NNA.

All Notarial acts are required by Washington State law to be recorded and held for a period of 10 years into a Notarial journal. These journals are unique to each Notary, and are required by law to be held in a locked and secure location, with access exclusively reserved to the Notary to whom the journal belongs. In some cases, these journal entries may be used as a form of proof of a documents existence or of an act having been performed or certified.

Currently, there are no requirements beyond a background check, E&O insurance, and a Notary Commission granted by the state you reside in. However, we believe an evolved understanding of industry standards and best practices, in addition to extensive training and certification is necessary to best represent both our company, and those we work on behalf of. We work to stay on top of all current training opportunities and require ongoing education as those opportunities present themselves.

“An impartial witness does not mean an uneducated witness” Mark Wills LSS Co-Creator & Mentor