People usually think that being a notary is an easy job that doesn’t require much effort. One just has to take signatures from the right person but ask yourself, is it that easy? Because a notary is part of the legal system, a minor mistake can cost the suspension from one’s services, it might result in some legal and financial consequences. If you have recently started notary Arizona in traditional, ROI, or online mode, then you must know what is needed to be done, and you must also know what you must not do. Therefore, to help you identify some minor and common mistakes that are done by notaries and can be avoided are listed in this blog. Let’s get on it.
Do not share your opinions at the Signing.
A notary’s sole purpose is to remain present as an unbiased witness during the Signing. If you are a non-attorney notary, you must not share your advice with the signer. If you give advice to a client and they don’t find it appropriate, one can also file a complaint against you because, honestly, it is not your job to tell anyone if the transaction is right or wrong for them.
Poor Notary Behavior
Notary Arizona has some rules and regulations in which verbal notary ceremony is the most crucial part, and most of the notaries usually forget its importance. They just sign and stamp the certificate. Little do they know; a notarial act isn’t complete without a verbal notary ceremony.
Missing or Incorrect Information on Certificate
This is the most common mistake made by a notary. They either do not include venue details at all, or they mention it incorrectly. However, some notaries can also write incorrect signer’s name, which is again unacceptable in the process. You must know that if you write the signer’s or venue’s name incorrectly, the document might not get accepted, and the notarial act will be considered invalid.
Always Affix Notary Stamp After Completing the Certificate
You have to fill in the required details, perform the ceremonies, and then only you should go on with affixing a notary stamp on certificates. If you affix a notary stamp on an incomplete certificate and someone finds it, the person can commit fraud. So, always attest the document after completing the notarial act ceremony, enter the transaction in the record book, and sign the certificate.
Make Sure that Information on Your Notary Stamp is to the Point
Whether in any form you provide notary services, a notary stamp is your asset. Therefore, make sure your notary stamp has verified details of your services. If you cross out any information from your notary stamp impression, then the documents with your notary stamps will be rejected.
Do not Notarize Documents to which you are a Party.
As we mentioned earlier, a notary’s job is to be an impartial witness during the transactions, but if a notary has any interest in the document, one will get any financial benefit apart from notary fees. One should not be that client’s notary. If you do, there will be legal consequences.
Ignoring the Value of Notary Journal
Most of the notaries in Arizona do their work right, and there are no complaints against them. People suffer from over-confidence and do not maintain any written record of transactions, how much they have charged from clients, etc. Journal is considered an essential part of notary Arizona supplies. It is mandatory to maintain a record of everything they are doing as their job, and it has a lot of benefits. Suppose you have not faced any legal challenge till now. What if something goes wrong in someone’s proceedings and they file a lawsuit; you will have nothing to prove yourself right at that moment because you have no evidence. However, making such records will also help you to keep financial records.
Therefore, while maintaining a notary journal, make sure you include the following details: description of a notarial act, personal ID and the other signer information, and how much fees you charge.
Not Caring about Signer’s presence.
A notary is an act done in confidence, and it is all about words and how someone stands on them. When someone becomes an affiant or signer, your job is to make sure that the person is not doing anything under any pressure. Therefore, the notary Arizona asks the signer to be physically present during the notarial act. Sometimes notary takes the signer’s presence casually, or they allow the person to sign at home and hand over the document when feasible, which is not acceptable. Even if you know the signer and you are looking for ways to make the process easy for them, then you must know that there is no shortcut in this process. You must perform the notarial act according to rules.
Avoid Using White-out pen
No doubt, we can use white-out pens in day-to-day lives, but if you use a white-out pen to correct a mistake in the document, your certificate can also be rejected. Therefore, it is advised to strike through the error and initial the correction. Don’t forget to record the modifications in the notary Arizona journal.
Using Official Notary Name is Must
Many certificates get rejected when the officials do not find proper official notary names. Therefore, make sure that your attested papers have your official notary name for authenticity.
Conclusion
These are ten mistakes that you can avoid making to secure your notary Arizona career. Blue Notary is the best choice for better assistance and to notarize documents in less than ten minutes.