VA Notaries do not perform marriages or do fingerprinting

Va notaries are barred from performing marriages. Marriage Celebrants appointed by a VA Circuit Court are allowed to marry individuals within the jurisdiction of the Circuit Court. Other states do allow notaries to marry individuals; VA notaries need to lobby the VA legislature for a change in the VA Code. One person was visiting from Florida and ask me to perform her marriage ceremony. I explained to her that celebrants, not notaries, performed marriages in VA.

Notaries are not authorized to do fingerprinting in VA. Sheriff and Police departments offer fingerprinting service to their respective residents. Some states require notaries to fingerprint signers. Va does not. Aggressive examination of government issued id is what VA notaries should be doing. I requested addition id from an FBI agent who was wearing his FBI badge when his VA driver's license did not quite look like him. He had like many Virginia residents had renewed his VA driver's license on line for several years. His official FBI ID with photo looked like him. .Va has a new driver's license which will make all VA very happy.