What is a Mobile Notary Public?

A mobile notary public is, in essence, a notary willing to travel to the location of the client, in order to fulfill his or her duties.  These typically entail the witnessing of sensitive documents, overseeing their signing, identifying participants and administering oaths when necessary.

A mobile notary public makes the process of notarizing documents a great deal easier for individuals or corporations to procure.  Most often, mobile notaries are part of a centralized association known as the U.S. Mobile Notary Association. Here, a prospective client can contact them and seek out an individual available for traveling to his or her location. 

When a company becomes a member of the U.S. Mobile Notary Association, they are qualified to display the Certified Mobile Notary Public (CMNP) designation.  Often, other companies will attempt to emulate this designation with other, similar-sounding names, but the CMNP is the official designation for a licensed mobile notary.

For those seeking a mobile notary public in the State of Florida, the Florida Mobile Notary Association and Services, Inc. offers a centralized location to finding willing and able Florida notaries. 

Among the services offered by the Florida Mobile Notary Association are:

• Witnessing of legal documents
• Administering of oaths
• Remote document signings/loan closings
• Fingerprinting services
• Solemnized weddings (Florida is among the few states to offer this service from its certified notaries)

Hiring a CMNP is essential for companies looking for services such as loan signing or notarized documents outside of regular business hours or locations.  A CMNP will travel to the client’s office or home on their schedule, and is trained to handle many types of documents including real estate, corporate, personal, custody, trusts and power of attorney. 

It is important to remember that a mobile notary is not licensed to practice law, prepare documents or provide any legal counsel.  Their role is primarily that of an impartial witness to the signing of various documents and legal forms. 

To becoming a mobile notary public, one must follow several steps:
 
• Fill out an application, providing your name, address and other contact info.  You will also answer questions regarding age, residency and any previous Notary commissions held.  Application procedures vary from state to state.  For more information regarding the application process, you can visit the National Notary Association website at http://www.nationalnotary.org.
• Applicants are next required to pay a fee to the commissioning authority.
• Applicants must then typically take an oath of office, which may be incorporated into the application or filed with a county clerk.
• Once an individual is commissioned as a Notary in his or her state, they are eligible to join a licensed mobile notary association in their state.  Typically a small monthly fee is required to retain membership.

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