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Definition: Notary Public |
Notary PublicNoun1. Someone legally empowered to witness signatures and certify a document's validity and to take depositions. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
| Domain | Definition |
Economics | A person commissioned by a state for a stipulated period to administer certain oaths and to attest and certify documents. In some countries, the authority of a notary public is much more extensive. (references) |
Finance | A public figure authorized to attest to the signing of documents, such as deeds or mortgages. The notary public certifies that he or she has witnessed the signing of the document by also signing the document and affixing his or her official seal. (references) |
Law | A person exercising, under the authority of the courts, a liberal profession and who is officially authorized to attest documents or actions so as to give them legal authenticity. Source: European Union. (references) |
Literature | Notary Public A law officer whose duty it is to attest deeds, to make authentic copies of documents, to make protests of bills, and to act as a legal witness of any formal act of public concern. Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
A notary public is an officer who can administer and give oaths, and perform certain other acts varying from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
The office of notary dates back to the Roman Empire. Prior to the enactment of the Ecclesiastical Licences Act 1533 (UK), the appointment of notaries lay with the Pope. The Pope delegated his powers of appointment to his legate, the Archbishop of Canterbury. It was through a licence or faculty granted by the Archbishop in the exercise of his legatine powers that a notary received the right to practise. After the passage of the 1533 Act, which was a direct result of the Reformation in England, all notary appointments were issued directly through the Court of Faculties. The Court of Faculties is attached to the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
A Notary in common law jurisdictions is a qualified lawyer. Traditionally, notaries recorded matters of judicial importance as well as private transactions or events where an officially authenticated record or a document drawn up with professional skill or knowledge was required. Specifically, the functions of notaries include the attestation of documents and certification of their due execution, administering of oaths, witnessing affidavits and statutory declarations, certification of copy documents, noting and protesting of bills of exchange and the preparation of ships' protests.
Significant weight attaches to documents certified by notaries. Documents certified by notaries are sealed with the notary's seal and are recorded by the notary in a register maintained by him/her. These are known as "notarial acts". Notarial acts and certificates are recognised in countries of the British Commonwealth and some other countries without the need for any further certification from the respective Foreign Ministry or foreign diplomatic missions. (In countries subscribing to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents only one further act of certification is required, known as an apostille).
In England there are three classes of notaries. Scrivener notaries, who get their name from the Scriveners' Company, are the only notaries permitted to practise in the City of London. Due to their geographical proximity to many civil law countries, scrivener notaries are only appointed after five years articles to a practising notary. Scrivener notaries must be fluent in one or two foreign languages and be familiar with the principles and practice of foreign law.
The other two classes of notaries in England are qualified solicitors who only practise outside the city and non-legally qualified persons who satisfy the Master of Faculties that they possess an adequate understanding of the law. Both the latter two categories are required to pass examinations set by the Master of Faculties.
In the United States, generally speaking, a notary public is a public official appointed by the government to serve the public as an impartial witness. Usually individuals need no special training to obtain a notary public license, they must only pass a simple test, have some form of background check or obtain a bond or insurance to insure their integrity. In the United States, a non-attorney notary may not offer you legal advice, may not prepare documents for you, and cannot recommend how you should sign something or even what type of notarization is necessary.
Each state in the United States has different requirements for becoming a notary public. In some states, an appointment by the legislature may be necessary.
Each state authorizes a notary to perform a limited range of activities called notarizations. In some states a notary is authorized to solemize marriages. California notary law will be considered here, see California Government Code Sections 8201 et. seq.
Notarization does not prove the truthfulness of statements in a document. Notarization does not legalize or validate a document. Notarization does not protect your rights in artistic creations or inventions.
Notarization requires that the notary screen the signer. This involves reviewing identity cards (drivers license, etc.) or testimony from one or more credible identifying witnesses. If you need a document notarized it is your responsibility to bring the necessary identification or witnesses. Next, the notary must complete a journal entry and finally the notary will complete the notarial act. In California, a thumbprint is required in the journal entry for certain types of transactions to prevent fraud. Documents with blank spaces cannot be notarized.
The two primary types of notarizations are acknowledgements and jurats.
Acknowledgements are executed on deeds, documents affecting property, and the like. An acknowlegment is a signed statement by the notary that the signer (1) personally appeared before the notary, (2) was positively identified by the notary, and (3) that the signer acknowledged having signed the document.
A jurat (or oath) is designed to compel truthfulness in a signer, e.g. by putting the fear of the law/god in them. A jurat is a signed statement by the notary that the signer (1) personally appeared before the notary, (2) signed the document in the presence of the notary, and (3) took and oath or affirmation administered by the notary, e.g. "Do you swear that the statements in this document are true, so help you God?" or "Do you affirm that the statements in this document are true?". Note that California law does not require idenification of the signer for jurats, but few notaries will allow you to complete the notarization without identifying yourself.History
Common law jurisdictions
Notaries in England
United States
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Notary public."
Synonym: Notary PublicSynonym: notary (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Lawyer | Solicitor, proctor; notary, notary public; scrivener, cursitor; writer, writer to the signet; S.S.C.; limb of the law; pettifogger; vakil. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Notary Public |
| English words defined with "notary public": Kahani ♦ To protest a bill or note. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "notary public": attested document, authenticated document ♦ certified document ♦ manager, service ♦ notarial act ♦ official record ♦ public instrument ♦ service supervisor, superintendent, house, SUPERINTENDENT, SERVICE. (references) |
| Domain | Title |
Books |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Mr. J.H. Parham, barber and notary public in Centralhatchee, Heard County, Georgia. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Mr. J. H. Parham, barber and notary public, in his shop in Centralhatchee, Heard County, Georgia. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Civil Liberties | Poland | This information on membership must be confirmed by a notary public, although the registration itself often appears to be a formality. (references) |
Economic History | Mauritius | Applicants are no longer required to go through a notary public to incorporate the company. (references) |
Dominican Rep | The founder must make a sworn declaration of receipt of the payments before a Notary Public. (references) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "notary public"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgarian | нотариус (notary). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Danish | notar (notary). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dutch | notaris (notary). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | julkinen notaari (solicitor). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French | notaire (notary). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | Notar (commissioner, notary). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | συμβολαιογράφος (notary). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | notaio (notary, solicitor). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Kanji | 行"書士 , 公証人 . (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Katakana | ぎょうせいしょし, "うしょうに". (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manx | noteyr theayagh. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | otarynay ublicpay notário público, notário (notary, scrivener), tabelião (commissioner for oaths, notary, scrivener). (various references) нотариус (notary, notary of public). (various references) notario público (np). (various references) notarius publicus (notary). (various references) noter (notary, writer to the signet). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-b-c-i-l-n-o-p-r-t-u-y" | |
-1 letter: inculpatory. | |
-2 letters: incubatory. | |
-3 letters: abruption, binocular, countably, incubator, incurably, lubricant, prolactin, unclarity, untypical. | |
-4 letters: ablution, abruptly, abutilon, baryonic, bouncily, calutron, carbinol, carbonyl, caryotin, cilantro, contrail, corybant, croupily, culinary, obituary, panbroil, patronly, platonic, plutonic, polarity, polyuria, polyuric, ponytail, portably, publican, punitory, tribunal, tropical, troupial, turbinal, unipolar, uranylic, urbanity. | |
-5 letters: aboulic, acyloin, anticly, apricot, aprotic, atropin, auction. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-b-c-i-l-n-o-p-r-t-u-y" | |
+3 letters: uncopyrightable. | |
+4 letters: pronounceability. | |
+5 letters: unapproachability. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Images: Photo Album 6. Quotations: Non-fiction 7. Expressions: Internet 8. Translations: Modern | 9. Anagrams 10. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
