r/Notary

In Pennsylvania, I recently sold an old pickup truck. I received cash on the spot and provided a receipt. The new owner asked me to go to the notary that he normally uses and sign the title at my convenience. (There was an RV parked close to it that was going to be moved within 3 or 4 days which would make it easier for the new pickup owner to load the pickup onto his tow truck) Then I should let him know when I'm done and he would stop in later to his notary to do his part.

I have never exchanged a title before without both parties present at the same time.

I should also note that I will be providing and using my power of attorney for my husband to sign the title if that matters.

The truck is in pretty bad shape and is old, I believe he is going to take parts off of it to sell and then scrap the rest.

So is there anything I should be concerned about as far as signing the title at his notary and leaving it there for the new owner to stop by and sign at a later time?

Alright got my notary commission and now my nna loan signing certificate. I am snapdoc, signing order and notary dash certified and profile is up and running. How long do you think till I get a signing job in pa? Dying for my side hustle to work here!

Also can you share with me your first time signing experiences? I would appreciate it.

Apostille vs. Authentication: What’s the Difference? (Complete Beginner’s Guide)

If you’re trying to use a U.S. document in another country, you’ve probably been told you need an apostille or authentication.

Most people have no idea what either means until they’re suddenly dealing with immigration, marriage, school, work, or business overseas.

Here’s a simple explanation.

What is an Apostille?

An apostille is an official certificate that verifies the signature on a public document so it can be accepted in another country.

It does not verify that the contents of your document are true.

It only certifies that the signature, seal, or official who signed the document is legitimate.

Countries that are members of the Hague Apostille Convention accept apostilles.

Common documents include:

• Birth certificates
• Marriage certificates
• Death certificates
• Diplomas
• School transcripts
• FBI background checks
• Powers of Attorney
• Affidavits
• Corporate documents
• Court records
• Adoption paperwork

What is Authentication?

If the country is not a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, you’ll usually need authentication instead.

Authentication often requires multiple government agencies to certify the document before it can be legalized by the destination country’s embassy or consulate.

This process usually takes longer than getting an apostille.

How do I know which one I need?

Ask yourself one question:

Which country will use the document?

If that country is part of the Hague Apostille Convention, you usually need an apostille.

If it isn’t, you’ll likely need authentication and embassy legalization.

Can every document be apostilled?

No.

Some common requirements include:

• Vital records often need to be certified originals.
• Private documents usually need proper notarization first.
• School documents may require certification from the registrar.
• Federal documents often follow a different process than state-issued documents.

Requirements vary by state and by document type.

Common mistakes people make

These are some of the biggest reasons documents get rejected:

• Sending a photocopy instead of a certified original.
• Getting the wrong type of notarization.
• Signing before meeting the notary.
• Using an expired document when the destination country requires a recent copy.
• Applying through the wrong state.
• Assuming every country accepts apostilles.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does an apostille take?

It depends on the state or federal agency handling the request.

Can I get an apostille for a notarized document?

Yes, if it meets your state’s requirements.

Can I apostille a scanned copy?

Usually no. Most documents require an original or certified copy.

Does an apostille translate my document?

No. Translation and apostille are separate services.

Does an apostille expire?

The apostille itself generally does not expire, but the receiving country or organization may require recently issued documents.

Final Tip

The hardest part isn’t usually getting the apostille.

It’s making sure the document is prepared correctly before you submit it.

One missing notarization, an incorrect certificate, or using the wrong version of a document can cause delays or rejection.

If you’re not sure what your document needs, post your question below.

Include:

• What document you have
• Which U.S. state it came from
• Which country will receive it

Someone here will point you in the right direction.

As a regular notary in PA, am I authorized to do a title transfer? I know I can’t transfer registration but a father is coming in and wants to transfer his title to his daughter. Am I allowed? That’s just a regular verification right?

Hello everyone! Ive had my license for over a year and im VERY confused on where to start. Ive been looking into apprenticeships but i cant really find any, and Im nervous that i might start off wrong by myself. What did you guys do first? and any tips?

I'm honestly so frustrated rn 😭

I mailed my Massachusetts document in for an apostille, got it back saying the notary wasn't valid. I figured maybe I messed something up, got it redone, mailed it AGAIN... and it got rejected AGAIN with basically the same thing.

At this point I have no clue what's actually wrong. The document is notarized, the seal is there, everything looks fine to me.

Does anyone know what "notary not valid" usually means in Massachusetts? Is it the wording? The certificate? The notary's commission? Do I have to get the whole thing notarized again?

I really don't want to mail this a third time just to have it come back again 😩 Any advice from someone who's been through this?

I'm a US citizen living in US with my 5 month old baby and my husband is indian living in India. While applying for entry visa , my daughter need a parental consent form to be notarized. And I got it but it doesn't have his actual signature by pen, only 2 stamps are there. Is this fine or should I go back and ask him to sign? If someone knows, it will be helpful

We all know signatures are supposed to represent identity and intent. But here’s a dilemma:

- If an official starts with a full signature and later shifts to a shortened version, does the law honor the individual or the consistency of the mark?

- Could a shortened signature ever be challenged as “non-binding” if the same person uses a longer version elsewhere?

- In an age of digital signatures and biometrics, is insisting on a full handwritten signature outdated bureaucracy—or essential authenticity?

I'm curious how different legal systems, traditions, and even cultural practices view this. Is the pattern enough, or is the full form sacred?

What do you think—does the law recognize the person, or the pattern?

Hi Notaries!

We've noticed an uptick in reports from customers and FindaNotary.com users about suspicious business inquiries they've received recently, so we wanted to share some info.

Some of these inquiries appear to be coming through FindaNotary.com's 'Send a Message' feature, while others are happening completely off-platform. To protect FindaNotary customers, we've temporarily disabled the messaging feature as we review the activity and work on enhancements to limit misuse of the system.

However, we also wanted to make this post to raise awareness and share tips to protect yourself if you do receive an odd request.

First rule of thumb: Do not click any links sent to you unless you know they're safe. We encourage all Notaries to be extra cautious when responding to inquiries, particularly those that:

• Ask you to join an unfamiliar Zoom or video meeting
• Include unsolicited links within a text or email
• Include attachments from unknown sources
• Refuse to provide basic contact information, such as a phone number
• Contain vague or generic notarization requests with little supporting information
• Create a sense of urgency or pressure to act quickly

If something feels suspicious, don't continue the conversation or click links in any follow-up messages--and when in doubt, report these messages through the platform they were received.

We’re also here with you on Reddit! If you have any questions, the NNA Hotline team will be popping in and out of this subreddit to be a helpful resource to the Notary community.

TL;DR Suspicious inquiries targeting Notaries are popping up across platforms. Be cautious of unfamiliar links, attachments, and requests that pressure you to act quickly.

Hello! I need some help with a question. I’m abroad currently and successfully got my and my kid’s birth certs and marriage cert apostille’d. I’ve sent my sealed notarized transcripts in twice and got rejected twice. First because I included money for the transcript document as a whole. So, $10 dollars. They said it needed to be per page. By then I was gone so my dad resubmitted the request and included $70 as the total pages are 7. They then sent it back saying it’s too much. So which is it? What’s the guidelines because online it says $10 per document. TIA!

How much po kaya pa notaryo ng Affidavit of Assumption of mortgage?

Hey everyone, Over the last week, we’ve been working closely with notaries to build NotaryNext, and the feedback has been incredibly helpful. So we wanted to thank you for your help! We’ve already made few improvements based directly on suggestions from this community. Our goal isn’t to replace anyone’s current workflow overnight. We’re focused on building a modern platform that helps notaries stay organized and grow their business, while continuing to add the features that matter most.

Current features include:
Job tracking
Calendar
Invoice management
Automated invoice emails
Google review request automation
Automatic job importing from emails (NEW FEATURE)
Mobile-friendly experience (continuously improving)

We’re looking for a few more notaries who are willing to explore the platform and share honest feedback. In return, we’re offering 1 month of free access to beta testers. If you are interested, send us a DM and we’ll get you set up. We’d genuinely love to hear what you think and continue building something that’s useful for the notary community.

Hello. I'm still fairly new to this. But id like to get out from under signing services. Ive been burned by separate ones 3 times now. 2 from lack of communication, and another outright lied to me about the service needed. Im feeling really defeated today. How long did it take you to build relationships with Title Companies? I've completed 10 signings, and have triple checked every document and so far no complaints, ive not had to go back for anything, my pay hasn't been reduced for any issues and my ratings remain high. I know its still early, I know I still need to put my time in, but I really dont want to keep doing this dance of negotiating low fees for signing companies that aren't holding up their end of this deal.

My daughter attends York University and hopes to go to Spain for her Fall term. She has the medical letter required to get a Student Visa from the Spanish consulate but needs it notarized, apostilled, and translated to Spanish. We have no idea who can do these things for us. We’re in Vaughan but will travel to Toronto or somewhere else relatively close. Can anyone help us, please?

Hi all,

Just completed the Texas SOS RON training and have 3 quick questions:

1. What is everyone using for an electronic journal? Word? Excel? Paid Service?

2. For the electronic signature/certificate, are y’all signing as is, or when using adobe, do you draw your signature (or type it using a cursive font) when you add the certificate?

3. The training stated that we have to put a mandatory online notarization statement. If the form the customer provided doesn’t have the “two-way audio and video communication” statement, or the “This notarial act was an online notarization” statement, how do y’all add it?

Any help would be great, thanks!

Had a situation last week where someone came in needing an apostille; it turns out one of their documents wasn't properly certified, so we couldn't even start the apostille process. they had a visa appointment the next morning. ended up spending two hours trying to figure out what could actually be salvaged in time. we got it sorted but barely. I run dc mobile notary and this happens more than I'd like. curious how other notaries or apostille services handle this, do you do a pre-check before the appointment or just deal with it when it comes up.

Edited: Appreciate all the responses, really helpful to hear how others handle this. we've since made the free pre-check a standard part of our intake at dc mobile notary, especially for time sensitive stuff like fbi apostilles and embassy legalization where a missing certification can kill the whole timeline. seems like the consensus here is front loading the verification is the only real fix.

If a client comes to you needing apostille services and it's not something you handle yourself:

• What do you usually do?
• Do you refer them to another notary, an apostille service, an attorney, or someone else?
• If you refer them, what kind of business are they?
• What makes you refer it instead of doing it yourself?

I'm not selling anything -just trying to understand how the industry actually works."

Hello everyone! I’m a full-time nursing student and a mother of three. I’m also a notary public, but I haven’t been able to put my commission to good use lately because nursing school and limited childcare have taken up most of my time. Financially, it’s been a challenge.
I know mentoring is valuable and that everyone’s time is worth something, but money is really tight right now. I’m looking for someone in the Pennsylvania area who would be willing to mentor me and help me learn how to build my notary business so I can earn income while getting through nursing school.
If anyone is willing to share their knowledge or point me in the right direction, I’d truly appreciate it. Thank you so much!