Notarized for your Protection

(Note- Sorry it's been so long since I wrote. I've been spending a lot of time watching curling on TV. I wish I was joking)

I have recently become an official Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Notary Public. Which is kind of a redundant thing to say because there are no "un-official" Notary Publics- that would defeat the purpose. And what is the purpose? Well, its kind of like being a lawyer except that you only need three hours of instruction, not three years. But you can do official stuff to documents like affidavits and affirmations and protests and oaths. In general the job is to make sure the people signing a particular document are who they claim to be. That's about it. You check the document, witness the signature, stamp it with your rubber stamp and then sign it. You may be wondering about the traditional symbol of the Notary Public - the embossing seal. Well actually by Pennsylvania law as of July 1, 2003 the seal is no longer required on any document. But some people still want a seal because they think it looks more official. Of course its fun too, so I had to get one.

Getting a Notary commission wasn't a longtime dream of mine and I don't think I'll make much money from it, it was simply a job requirement. In the past when they asked me to do something at work I'd take it under consideration, but I usually decided what they wanted me to do didn't interest me. I was happy to do this though. I guess its nice to be the Notary in the office- although its been like three weeks and I haven't had to stamp anything yet.

The whole"commissioning" process is quite complex and can cost about $300.00 - I guess that's what they do to keep everyone from doing it. The best way is to go through an organization like the Pennsylvania Association of Notaries (PAN). They run education seminars and help with all the paperwork. It is actually a very new requirement, but you need to take at least a three hour education seminar before you may even apply to become a Notary. There's no test- basically you just have to show up and stay awake but the staying awake part is probably optional. Of course you want to pay attention because you don't want to make any mistakes on an important document. That's what the "Bonding" and "Errors and omissions" insurance is about. After the seminar your send in your application and your proof of "education" to the state Senator from your district. They are supposed to review it, sign it and send it back to you. I didn't know how long this would take, but my Senator is Vince Fumo and he's all about "constituent service" so it literally took a few days - even through the mail. After that you send the completed application back to PAN and they forward it to the Commonwealth for more checking. Notaries can not have too much of a criminal record- of course lawyers have no such requirement. After quite a while you get your "Notice to Appointee" and a blank "Bond" form. You must send this form to PAN and they will "execute your bond". Being bonded protects your customers from your mistakes. Its basically insurance for your customers- you need to get other insurance to protect you in case someone makes a claim against your Bond. As with most things the whole process is just an excuse to sell more insurance (title insurance anyone??) After your bond has been completed you will take it and the "Notice of Appointment" to the recorder of deeds in your county to be sworn in. Still with me here? After you are sworn you must pay the recorder of deeds for the privilege of being sworn and them "recording" or writing down your commission. This costs $70.50. Yes $70.50- who knows what they do with that extra .50 cents. So I go up to the window- this whole process at City Hall is way too easy so far- and there are signs everywhere - "No Personal Checks Accepted" Of course no cards either. Now hold on a minute- I've just been confirmed and bonded by the state and sworn in by the county and become authorized to confirm peoples' identities, but they can't take my personal check? What do I have to do to get them to trust me? They actually have an ATM machine right outside the office there in City Hall so it wasn't that bad. So after you fork over the cash you've got to go to the "Prothonotary" to have your signature "recorded". No I had never heard of a Prothonotary before either. Its just another crazy government office working behind the scenes to protect our right to bureaucracy. You actually sign one of those electronic pads like when you check out at Target. Then you are done and official. Somehow the Prothonotary doesn't charge anything for "recording" your signature.

So I'm ready to go and waiting for my first "Notarial Act". Of course if any of my friends needs something Notarized - don't worry -it'll be just $5.00 per signature. If you're a family member make that $10.00