When you are in the Philippines, you would be surprised to find out that many documents need to be notarized in order to have it be legally accepted as a requirement or prerequisite for school, business or whatever legal purpose it may serve. The purpose of the notarized document is to have like a witness verify the authenticity of the document/s presented. It’s like saying that in all veracity it is that the notarized document is signed by the person whose signature appears by verification of the independent party who is the notary public.
Where to find a Notary Public?
Notary public are often seen in municipal halls or government offices but you can also find them in business districts as more documents are needed to be notarized in those areas as well. Some notary public are also seen near schools or banks.
What are the steps on how to get your important documents be notarized?
There are different protocols per area but we have created an easy step by step guide that would give you a bird’s eye view of the process works. Check them out below for your reference:
- Prepare your documents to be notarized. It would be preferred not to sign the documents yet because the notary public prefers to witness the signage on his presence. You should also not forget to bring a proof of identity such as a government issued ID, passport or even an NBI clearance would do.
- The next step is the verification process. The notary public would verify you based on your presented identification. For affidavits to be notarized, the notary public has a prepared form that you would be needing to fill out.
- Signing of the documents is the next step in the process. The notary public would observe you as you sign and evaluate if you are signing based on your free will. A witness is also needed in order for this process to finish.
- Once you are cleared from the identification process and the signing of the documents is finished without any hesitations or objections then your transaction would be recorded on the book of records of the notary public.
- After the steps has been done without any fuzz then your documents would be notarized with the official seal and stamp of the notary public. Congratulations because your document is now officially notarized.
- The last step would be payment of the fees. The charge of the notarization differs from one place to another but usually it’s only a minimal amount.
In case you are too busy and can’t do the notarization by yourself, you can also get a representative to do the notarization on your behalf. Just ensure to provide proper authorization along with the needed identification IDs or papers to hasten the process and not otherwise. Authorization may come using a special power of attorney to ensure a smooth transaction of the notarization process.