"I will travel to pretty much any place in New Mexico"
What is a Notary Public?
A notary public is a person appointed by the Secretary of State to act as an unbiased witness in legal transactions.
What is notarization?
Notaries administer oaths and take acknowledgments of signatures on legal documents. Notarization helps to prevent fraud by verifying the identity of persons signing these documents and making sure that the person knows what the document is and is signing it voluntarily.
What documents need to be notarized?
Documents that may need to be notarized include:
- Estate planning documents (wills, living wills, financial and medical powers of attorney, declarations of disposition of last remains, designated beneficiary agreements)
- Real estate transaction documents (deeds of trust, real estate contracts, tax liens and deeds)
- Documents involving guardianships and conservatorships
- Motor vehicle transfers of title
- Initiative or referendum petition affidavits
- Medical marijuana registration forms
- Surveyors’ plats
- Signatures by mark for persons with disabilities
What do I need?
To make sure the notarization process goes smoothly, please be sure you have these items when I arrive to serve you:
- The document to be notarized. Usually, the document will have a pre-printed notarial certificate at the bottom for me to fill in. If your document does not already include this certificate, you may wish to ask the organization or agency to which you’re submitting the document exactly what type of notarization is needed. The two most common types of notarization are an oath and an acknowledgment.
- A current identification card for the person signing the document, issued by a federal or state government entity. The ID must contain a photograph and the person’s signature. A New Mexico driver’s license or ID card, a U.S. passport, or U.S. military ID are the best forms of identification, but in some cases a driver’s license from another state, a foreign passport, or a permanent resident card or visa may be acceptable. Check the handy table below for more details on acceptable forms of identification.
What forms of ID are acceptable?
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Acceptable
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Unacceptable
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