Frequently asked questions

An unexpired government-issued photo ID: a Texas or out-of-state driver license, a state ID card, a passport, a permanent resident card, or a military ID. The name needs to reasonably match the name on the document. If your ID is expired or the name does not match, tell us before the appointment so we can work out a solution rather than discovering it at the table.

Please do not. For an acknowledgment you must acknowledge your signature to the notary, and for a jurat you must sign in the notary's presence. Signing in advance is the single most common reason an appointment has to be rescheduled. Bring the document complete but unsigned.

No. In Texas, wills, codicils and testamentary trusts are specifically excluded from remote and electronic notarization and must be signed in person. That is why, for estate documents, an in-person appointment is not a preference. It is the only route.

A straightforward signing usually takes ten to fifteen minutes once we meet. A real estate closing package can run forty-five minutes to an hour and a half depending on how many documents and signers are involved.

Yes, and it is a regular part of the work. The signer must be conscious, aware of what they are signing, and able to communicate their willingness. If they cannot, a notary is required to decline. We coordinate with facility staff in advance. If your document needs disinterested witnesses, you bring them: we do not provide witnesses.

Texas Government Code § 406.024 sets the maximums: $10 for the first signature on an acknowledgment and $1 for each additional signature, $10 for administering an oath or affirmation with a certificate and seal, and $1 per page for copies. An online notarization may carry up to $25 more under Texas law. We charge the State maximum and nothing else per notarization. One visit fee is added once per visit, never per signature, on its own line. The Secretary of State is required to adjust the statutory amounts for inflation every five years.

Because Texas law regulates the notarial act, not the trip. The visit is a separate, unregulated service and must be billed separately. Charging more than the statutory maximum by calling it a "notary fee" is unlawful, so we show both figures separately, every time.

The Texas Secretary of State charges $15 per document, or $10 for adoption-related documents, capped at $100 per child's adoption. That fee is paid to the State, not to us. Only the Texas Secretary of State can issue an apostille. No private service can.

No. Unlike Florida, Nevada, Maine, South Carolina, Tennessee and Montana, Texas does not authorize a notary public to perform marriages. Under Texas Family Code § 2.202, only a licensed or ordained minister or priest, a rabbi, an authorized officer of a religious organization, or a current, former or retired federal or state judge may officiate.

No. A Texas notary cannot certify copies of vital records such as birth or marriage certificates. Certified copies of those come from the vital records office that issued the original. We can certify copies of other documents, such as diplomas or powers of attorney.

That depends on the document, not on us. Some Texas estate and healthcare documents require disinterested witnesses in addition to notarization. A disinterested witness is someone who does not benefit from the document. If you are unsure what your document requires, ask a licensed Texas attorney. That is not something a notary is permitted to advise you on.