Have you ever felt the need of getting your important documents notarized during the wee hours of the day?
Perhaps, you live remotely, way too far from the public notary office in the first place.
Enter a mobile notary and save the day!
Reportedly, the onset of the pandemic season has witnessed an increasing demand for mobile notaries. So much so that individuals qualified to act as notaries in public offices have turned into mobile notaries to extend their services to people in need.
According to the National Notary Association, online searches for notaries witnessed a boost by no less than 187,500 hits, recorded alone in 2020. In comparison, the traffic for online search of notaries was a little above 10,000 in 2019.
Undeniably, mobile notaries are in demand, and given the current scenario with half of the global workforce working from home and the market yet to pick up, the situation isn’t changing any sooner.
In this post, we elaborate on six significant roles and responsibilities that are usually expected to be fulfilled by a mobile notary.
What is A Mobile Notary?
As the name suggests, a mobile notary travels from one place to another to cater to multiple notarial needs.
Thus, a mobile notary in Orange County CA can come to your office or home, or any other place convenient for you. Now, some might find a mobile notary to be less reliable, however, be sure that he is equally qualified as a public notary to take care of all notarization requirements.
Now, let’s take a look at the responsibilities a mobile notary performs to help clients.
1. Identification of signatories
This is one of the most important among all responsibilities that a mobile notary in Orange County CA is expected to perform. He/she is required to verify the identity of all signatories, either by adhering to a personal acquaintance or by obtaining valid identity proof, like a passport or driver’s license. Once the verification is over, details of all singing parties are to be recorded in the notarial register, also referred to as “protocol.â€
2. Ensuring sound mind of all signatories
It is also expected of a mobile notary that he/she should confirm whether all signing parties are in sound mind before they put in their required signature on all documents. Thus, a mobile notary in Orange County CA can check for a person being intoxicated or under a sedative medication clouding their judgment and thereby stopping the process of getting things notarized if need be.
3. Age Confirmation
A mobile notary in Orange County CA is also expected to verify the age of all signatories, meaning all parties should have attained the legal age of 18 before or on the day of signing the document. In case there is any individual who has not reached the required age, he/she is to be treated as a minor and thereby cannot sign the document at any cost.
4. Confirming the free will of all signing parties
A mobile notary is also expected to check whether all signing parties are willing to put the signatures of their free will and never under any threat or compulsion. In case there is any adverse situation, a signing party should inform the notary to take proper steps and put things in order.
5. Preventing document fraud
Although it’s customary to produce your proof of identification before signing a document, a mobile notary also ensures that all signatures are done on original documents and never on photocopies. In case, a signature is done on a photocopy of a document, it cannot be notarized. In other words, he/she acts as an impartial third party for all signing parties to confide in.
6. Convenience and flexibility
Lastly, a mobile notary ensures that he/she takes care of all notarization needs as per a client’s flexibility and convenience. As such, he is expected to arrive at the desired place and chosen hour of the day, whether it’s five o’clock in the morning or midnight, given the urgency. Although the general notion revolves around a mobile notary coming in handy for matters about real estate alone, they are fully capable of rendering support for other matters that include the likes of wills, trusts, affidavits, and administering oaths, acknowledgments, jurats, and even car ownership transfers.
What Are The Charges Of A Mobile Notary Orange County, CA?
When it comes to charges, each state in the US has a different fee structure set for a notary. A mobile notary in Orange County CA is certainly no exception.
However, there’s a catch.
While the majority of states have generally set the charges to a bare minimum (like $20-25), a mobile notary might charge a few bucks extra as traveling expenses.
Given his/her prompt services without any questions asked, it’s only ethical how it adds up to the total.
Wrap Up
So, you see, hiring a mobile notary is all about flexibility and convenience when you are looking to get things done from the comfort of your home.
And if you are willing to pay a tad bit extra for the effort, the services rendered match the public notary office.
However, one should keep in mind that hiring a mobile notary for home loans is perhaps the most expensive as it involves a truckload of paperwork and thus takes more time.
Nevertheless, you will always be given an estimate of charges before a notary starts the notarization process or even travels to your place.