Notarization is the official fraud-deterrent process performed by Notaries Public that renders the important documents of everyday life as trustworthy. It is a three-part process of vetting, certifying and record-keeping. Notarizations are also called notarial acts.
Above all, notarization is the assurance by a duly appointed and impartial Notary Public that a document is authentic, that its signature is genuine, and that its signer acted without duress or intimidation, and intended the terms of the document to be in full force and effect.
The central value of notarization lies in the Notary’s impartial screening of a signer for identity, willingness and awareness. This screening detects and deters document fraud, and helps protect the personal rights and property of private citizens from forgers, identity thieves and exploiters of the vulnerable. Across the nation every day, the process of notarization prevents countless forged, coerced and incompetent signings that would otherwise overwhelm our court system and dissolve the network of trust allowing our civil society to function.
A Notary Public is an official of integrity appointed by state government—typically by the secretary of state — to serve the public as an impartial witness in performing a variety of official fraud-deterrent acts related to the signing of important documents.
Notaries are public officials who are screened and appointed by the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories to serve the public as trusted impartial witnesses in a variety of fraud-deterrent tasks.
