Your Guide to Commonly Notarized Documents
Hundreds of millions of documents are notarized every year in the United States, most of which are required by “relying parties” — like mortgage companies, government agencies, and insurance companies. A document is notarized to ensure it’s authentic and it can be trusted. While just about anything with a signature can be notarized, below are the most commonly notarized documents by category.
- Financial
- Estate Planning
- Real Estate
- Healthcare
- Family Law
- Legal
- Authorization/Permission
- Verification
Financial
Mortgage and refinance documents: Solidify your agreement with a lender for borrowing money to purchase or refinance real estate.
Examples include the Deed of Trust, which grants the lender a security interest in your property, and the Promissory Note, outlining the loan terms.
Personal loan documents: Enforces the conditions and terms of the personal loan and protects both parties involved.
Payment agreements: Clarifies a repayment plan between parties for a debt, outlining the amount owed, timeframe, and potential consequences for non-payment.
Estate planning
Powers of attorney: Allows you to designate a trusted person (agent) to manage your financial affairs if you become incapacitated.
Wills: Specifies how you want your assets distributed after your death.
Trust documents: Allows you to manage assets and distribute them according to your wishes, potentially offering tax benefits and bypassing probate.
Real estate
Title transfers: Officially transfers ownership of real estate from the seller to the buyer.
Healthcare
Advance medical directives: Allows you to express your wishes for medical care in case you are unable to communicate them yourself.
Family law
Adoption agreements: Outlines the adoption process and parental rights.
Custody agreements: Outlines the parental rights and responsibilities for childcare.
Parental consent for travel: Grants permission for a minor child to travel with someone other than a legal guardian. These documents may also be referred to as child travel authorization or consent for child passport.
Legal
Affidavits: Verifies the truth of a particular matter via sworn statements.
Contracts: Outlines the rights and obligations of involved parties.
ID theft victim’s complaint and affidavit: Used to report and provide sworn testimony about identity theft.
General letter of consent: Permission granted in writing for a specific action (may also be used for non-legal purposes).
Authorization/permission
Letter of agreement: Functions as an authorization for someone to act on your behalf or a less formal contract outlining terms between parties.
Letter of authorization: Explicitly grants permission to someone to take a specific action on your behalf.
Verification
Proof of residency: Verifies your current address, such as a utility bill or bank statement.
Personal affidavit: Used for verification purposes or legal matters via sworn statements.
If your document is not listed above, check with the receiving agency to confirm whether your document requires a Notary.
Get your document notarized today with a Notary near you.