Question
What should I bring to a signing?
Every signer there, each with an ID if they have one, and the document not yet signed, plus anything the notary should know to reach you.
General information, not legal advice
This page explains how Hand & Seal works. Your state’s law, and your commissioning authority, decide what you must do — when in doubt, ask them or a lawyer.
A signing goes quickly when these are ready before the notary arrives:
- Every signer, there in person. Each person whose signature is being notarized has to be there, in front of the notary.
- Identification for each of them — usually a government photo ID: a driver's license, a state ID card or a passport. Check its date and that the name on it matches the name on the document. Some states accept an ID that expired recently and many do not, so if yours has expired, tell the notary before the signing.
- The whole document, not yet signed. It is simplest to wait and sign in front of the notary: for some notarizations they have to see you sign. Have every page, and any copies you've been asked to bring.
- Anything the notary should know to reach you. A gate code, where to park, a unit number, a signer who is in bed or in hospital and can't come to the door, a deadline. Put it in Anything … should know when you ask, or write to the notary under Messages on your request's page.
Good to know
- Documents to print? Say so when you ask — the form asks whether the notary needs to print them, and how many pages. Printing may be charged; the notary's page lists it.
- Paying: the notary's page says how they're paid — under Before you ask, What does it cost, and when do I pay? You pay the notary directly.
- No ID? Tell the notary before the signing, in Messages. Some states allow other ways to identify a signer, such as witnesses who know them; the notary will say what they can accept.
General information, not legal advice
Which IDs a notary may accept, whether an expired one can be used, and whether witnesses can identify a signer who has none are set by each state. This is general information, not legal advice — the notary, your state's notary rules, or a lawyer have the last word. If your document needs witnesses of its own (some wills and deeds do), whoever gave you the document can tell you; a notary can't advise on it.
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