5 Common Notary Mistakes

Notaries must use extreme caution and take all reasonable efforts to ensure that they make as few mistakes as possible. Those who aren't cautious with their work risk losing their commission or source of income. They may be sued for any errors that result in financial loss, penalized by their commissioning body for misconduct, or even imprisoned if their actions result in fraud or other criminal behavior.

Having a checklist that constantly reminds you of what not to do makes it easier to prevent mistakes.

Not Keeping Records

Only the notary's journal contains a record of the notarization. Even in cases when it is not necessary to do so by law, responsible notaries should maintain a continuous, sequential record of their notarial acts. At the very least, a journal should record the date and time of the notarization, the nature of the paperwork, the signer's name, address, signature, and form of identification, as well as any notarial costs that were charged.

Notarizing Without the Signer’s Presence

A notary public must never notarize a client's document without the client being present. The document will become invalid if this otherwise simple requirement is ignored, and the notary may face legal repercussions. This is intended to safeguard the persons involved from fraud.

White-out Usage

The receiving agency may reject any notarized documents containing white-out or other materials intended to "cover up" text because they are frequently perceived as tampering. In the event of an error (which is unavoidable), the notary public should substitute a blank document.

Writing the incorrect name carelessly

Not Being Careful with The Name

The name on a mobile notary's notary commission and any notarized certificates must match. Likewise with their signature. A notarial certificate may be disregarded if this or another error is made.

Certificate Sent to Receiving Agents with an Incorrect Date or Stamp

Sometimes notaries end up getting the date wrong. This minor error might get them into serious legal problems. Before executing a notarization, notaries are required to double-check the date. In a similar manner, they must confirm that the document has been correctly stamped.