Legal
What a notary does, and why documents get rejected
A notary verifies who signed, not what the document says. Most rejections come from a small list of avoidable errors.
A notary public confirms the signer's identity, that the signing was voluntary, and that it happened in front of them. A notary does not check that a document is legally sound, does not draft it, and in most states may not advise on its contents.
The usual causes of rejection are mechanical: signing before arriving, an expired identity document, a missing witness where the document requires one, or blank fields left unfilled. Many notaries will refuse a document with blanks, and they are right to.
Remote online notarisation is now permitted in many states, with the signing done over video and the identity check done electronically. Whether a particular receiving institution will accept it is a separate question worth asking in advance.
Notarisation is often free or nearly free at banks and credit unions for their own customers, and state law frequently caps the fee. Check that before paying a premium for convenience.
What to do next. Take unsigned documents and current photo identification, and ask the receiving institution in advance whether it accepts remote notarisation.
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