A NOTARY PUBLIC (a.k.a. notary or public notary; notaries public) of common laws is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with general financial transactions, estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business. A notary's main functions are to validate the signature of a person (for purposes of signing a document); administer oaths and affirmations; take affidavits and statutory declaration including from witnesses; authenticate the execution of certain classes of documents; take acknowledgments (e.g., of deeds and other conveyances); protest notes and bills of exchange; provide notice of foreign drafts; prepare marine or in cases of damage; provide exemplications and notarial copies; and, to perform certain other official acts depending on the jurisdiction. Such transactions are known as notarial acts, or more commonly, a notarizations. The term notary public only refers to common ...
A NOTARY PUBLIC (a.k.a. notary or public notary; notaries public) of common laws is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with general financial transactions, estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business. A notary's main functions are to validate the signature of a person (for purposes of signing a document); administer oaths and affirmations; take affidavits and statutory declaration including from witnesses; authenticate the execution of certain classes of documents; take acknowledgments (e.g., of deeds and other conveyances); protest notes and bills of exchange; provide notice of foreign drafts; prepare marine or in cases of damage; provide exemplications and notarial copies; and, to perform certain other official acts depending on the jurisdiction. Such transactions are known as notarial acts, or more commonly, a notarizations. The term notary public only refers to common ...