what is a notary public?

...and what are their responsibilities?

a notary public is a person who is licensed and/or appointed by a state, who may serve as an impartial witness to the signing of key documents.

• the key function of a notary is to be certain that the person appearing before the notary is who that person claims to be.

• notarial duties include confirming identity, inspecting documents and ensuring the signers understand the contents of the documents they are signing.

• a notary is responsible for ensuring the identity of the people signing important documents, being vigilant that state rules are being followed, and using sound judgment if it appears a person is misrepresenting themselves or otherwise working to undermine the notarization process.

• a notaries job is not to explain the contents of your documents OR to provide their personal opinion of your documents.

• a Virginia notary may refuse to notarize a document for any reason.