Before Your notarization Checklist

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DO NOT SIGN documents until you are in the presence of the notary.

Please fill in all required blank spaces before the notary arrives, but DO NOT SIGN the document until instructed by the notary.

The document must be complete at the time of notarization. The notary will briefly look over the document to make sure there are no blank spaces that appear to require information before it can be notarized.

You must also provide the entire document, not just the signature page. A notary cannot notarize a detached signature page without the rest of the document present.

 If you have questions about how to complete the document, contact the person, attorney, agency, company, or other party who prepared or requested it.

A Notary Public cannot provide legal advice or assist with drafting, interpreting, or completing your documents. Providing that type of assistance is outside the scope of a notary’s duties and may constitute the unauthorized practice of law.

When meeting with your notary every signer must physically appear, be coherent, fully alert, and able to prove to the notary that they understand the contents being signed.  Nodding is not sufficient.  The notary cannot notarize someone with Alzheimer's or dementia or someone on medication that makes the signer extremely drowsy.  

Every singer must present acceptable ID at the time of notarization. 

Original documents must be presented when required for notarization.

Tennessee notaries are not authorized to certify copies of documents. If a copy needs to be notarized, the signer may be required to make a document custodian statement or affidavit confirming that the copy is a true and correct copy of the original.

Vital records cannot be copy-certified by a Tennessee notary. This includes documents such as birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage records. Certified copies of vital records must be obtained from the appropriate government agency that maintains those records.

Each signer must be able to communicate directly with the notary and explain what he or she is signing.

The document itself may be written in a foreign language. However, the notarial certificate or notary wording completed and signed by the Tennessee notary must be in English.

 The signer must understand what he or she is signing. The notary does not have to read, translate, or explain the document, but the notary must be satisfied that the signer is aware of the document’s contents and is signing willingly and knowingly. 

Tennessee notaries cannot use an interpreter or translator to communicate with a signer during the notarization. If a signer does not speak English, the notary must personally be fluent enough in the signer’s language to communicate directly with the signer, confirm the signer’s identity and willingness to sign, and complete the notarization without assistance from a third-party translator.

Before your notarization, you should know which type of notarial certificate is required for your document.

A Notary Public cannot choose a notarial certificate for you or advise you which one you should use. Doing so would go beyond the notary’s authorized duties and could be considered the unauthorized practice of law.

If you are unsure which notarial certificate is needed, you should contact the person, agency, attorney, title company, or other party requesting the document.