How mobile notaries can help during a pandemic

CALIFORNIA – Getting your documents notarized is not always easy in the most normal of times but now with a global pandemic and rolling shelter in place orders, you might think it is impossible. With businesses closed, offices working from home and shortened hours at the local bank branch, obtaining notary services is a new challenge. Enter the mobile notary.

Mobile notaries are available in most every city. They are a traveling notary public who travels to their clients upon request. Typically, you call, email or book an appointment on the notary’s website and the mobile notary shows up at your location at a time that is convenient for you.

A mobile notary goes anywhere from one to 10 places per day to notarize a single signature on a single document, notarize multiple signatures on multiple documents and provide other services such as fingerprinting at any stop. In the era of social distancing, mobile notaries are meeting customers in their garages, patios, porches, curbside, even in public parks and other outdoor spaces to help keep everyone safe.

Mobile notaries not only offer traditional notarization services but also a wide range of other helpful services. Most mobile notaries can print documents before your appointment and deliver them, ship documents onto their destination, obtain Apostille Services for documents going overseas, provide fingerprinting services and much, much more. In some states, a notary public can even come to your home and officiate a marriage.

To find a mobile notary in your area, simply do a web search for “mobile notary” and your city and state names. Tell the notary that you choose what kinds of documents you need notarized and if there are any other services such as those listed above that the notary can perform for you. Mobile notaries typically charge a state-mandated fee for each signature notarized and a travel fee to cover the costs of getting to you. Some notaries even offer a discount or a package rate when you have multiple documents being notarized.

Whether you are sheltering in place, working from home or simply need something notarized and don’t want to drive to the local copy shop, call your local mobile notary and get the services you need to your door.

Submitted by The California League of Independent Notaries.