Notary Public Day

What the day is

Notary Public Day is observed on November 7. It recognizes notaries, who witness signatures, verify identity and administer oaths, and it marks the date in 1639 when the first American notary was appointed in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Origin and background

The office is ancient. Roman scribes recorded legal proceedings and agreements, and the medieval notary developed into a trusted official whose seal gave a document weight in a world where most people could not read and courts needed some assurance a signature was genuine.

The central misunderstanding is worth correcting. An American notary does not verify that a document is true, legal, fair or a good idea. The notary verifies that the person signing is who they claim to be, that they appear to be doing so willingly and with understanding, and that they signed in the notary's presence. Notarization says nothing whatever about the contents.

That is why notaries are barred from giving legal advice unless separately qualified, and why the role is deliberately narrow: it is an identity and willingness check rather than an endorsement.

Practice differs sharply between countries. Civil law jurisdictions have civil law notaries who are highly trained legal professionals drafting and authenticating instruments; a common law notary public in the United States typically takes a short course and an exam. The two roles share a name and little else, which causes regular confusion with international documents.

Remote online notarization, where the appearance happens over video with identity verification and a recorded session, has been authorized in many states and is changing the practice considerably.

How to take part

• Bring valid photo identification and do not sign in advance. The signature must happen in front of the notary.
• Check whether your bank, library or employer offers notarization free. Many do.
• Do not ask a notary whether a document is a good idea. That is a lawyer's question.
• Check what your jurisdiction accepts before relying on remote notarization for anything important.
• If you are a notary, thank the ones who taught you and keep your journal properly.