- What is meaning Notarization?
A document having verified signature (s) of a person who is required to sign it.
The Notary Public witnesses the signing or by the oath of the signer verifies the signature ot a person required to sign a document.
The Notary then completes required Notarial Certificate either pre-printed on the document or attached.
The Notary Public verifies the identityand signture of the signer, and makes an impressing of his/her notary seal/stamp and signs the notarial certificate.
- What type of Identification will I need?
- Do I have to have Advanced Care Directive Notarized?
In California, your living will and medical power of attorney are combined into a single form called an advance health care directive. You can use your advance directive to document your health care wishes and to name a trusted person to make health care decisions for you when you cannot make those decisions for yourself.
Sign Your California Advance Directive in Front of Two Witnesses or a Notary Public
After you create your advance directive, you must sign your document and have it either signed by two witnesses or notarized.
If you choose to have the document witnessed, neither of your witnesses may be:
your health care agent
your health care provider
an employee of your health care provider
the operator of a community care facility
an employee of a community care facility
the operator of a residential care facility for the elderly, or
an employee of a residential care facility for the elderly.
In addition, one of your witnesses must not be related to you by blood, marriage or adoption—and must not be entitled to any part of your estate by operation of law or under your will.
Finally, if you are in a skilled nursing facility, the document must also be witnessed by a patient advocate or ombudsman. (This requirement applies whether the document is witnessed or notarized.)
- What do I do with my Advanced Care Directive
What to Do With Your Signed Advance Directive
after you have your advance directive witnessed or notarized, it is legally valid.
Keep the original in your files and give a copy to your health care agent, if you named one. To ensure that you get the health care that you want, it’s a good idea to make your wishes widely known.
You might also consider giving copies of your advance directive to your physician, your hospital, your HMO or other insurance plan, and trusted family members and friends.
Review your document every few years to make sure that it still reflects your wishes. Also, consider making new documents if you move to another state, get married or divorced, or if your health care agenet is no longer able to supervise your wishes.
Your properly finalized document will stay in effect until you revoke it, if you ever choose to do so. You can revoke your document at any time. The best way to revoke your advance directive is to do it in writing. If possible, also collect and tear up all copies that you may have distributed to others. Finally, tell everyone who knows about your advance directive that you have revoked it.
- What is an Acknowledgment Notarization?
There are Two common notarizations performed in California - Jurat and Acknowledgment.
Each one of the Notarial Certificates has specific information required for the Notary Public to effectively perform his/her duties properly.
The Notarial Certificate: Jurat or Acknowledgment will be pre-printed on the document requiring notarization or will be attached with a Loose Notrial Certificate by the Notary Public.
A Notary Acknowledgment is a formal declaration of a signature before a public official. The public official is usually a notary public but in many states the public official can be a judge, mayor or other such official.
The Acknowledgment must be a part of the original document. This can be done by placing the acknowledgment language in the document itself or by adding the language in a separate paper that is attached to the original.
In either case, the form must be completed and signed by the notary public and then sealed. The commission number or expiration must also be included for the acknowledgment to be proper.
Forms to be filed at the register of deeds office must be notarized to show the authentication of the signature(s). Un-notarized or improperly notarized documents will be not be accepted. Time, money and liability of the lender, closing agent or attorney are at stake, so proper notarization is important each and every time.
- What is a Jurat?
Jurat is specific wording on a document requiring notarization. It will either be pre-printed on the document or attached by using a Loose Notarial Certificate. When Jurat wording is present on a document, the signer MUST sign the document in front of the Notary Public and must date the document same date of notarization.
The main purpose of a Jurat is to prove that you, the Signer, told the truth about information in your document under the penalty of perjury when you had it notarized. You, the Signer, must 'swear to a Supreme Being' or 'affirm on your personal honor' that everything in your document is true and correct.
