A notary in Lancaster, PA is a person who has been granted authority by the state to officially witness people’s signatures on documents, collect statements which are sworn too and to administer oaths. To provide ample evidence that the signature was witnessed the notary affixes a seal using an embossing tool or rubber stamp which is this signed and dated by the notary.
There is no special legal training required to become a notary, any public figure can be one and in many cases attorneys are notaries as it makes it easier for his clients. There are many documents that need to be notarized so that they can be accepted by the court so a notary in Lancaster, PA spends most of the time witnessing signatures. It is extremely important and incumbent on the notary that the person who is signing the document is well and truly the person he says he is and not a fraud. The notary will demand identification which bears a picture. The best ID is a government issued document such as a driver’s license or passport. The notary must feel comfortable, if he or she has any reason to believe the person is not who he says he is then there is no demand on the notary to perform the task.
A notary public is allowed to charge for the service, the fee is nominal but cannot be seen as being excessive. In many cases a notary will be employed by a bank or other financial institution or a law firm. In these cases rarely is a fee charged as the documents are required for bank or legal transactions. Notary publics that are licensed and work independently often are involved with other services such as tax preparation of even running a convenience store.
It must be understood that a notary only witnesses the signature of an individual; this does not make the document true and legal. Unless a notary is also an attorney, legal advice cannot be given. There is nothing to say that the document is not fraudulent or later found to be unenforceable by the court, the notary in Lancaster, PA is doing nothing more than to attest the signature of the applicant.
