Friday, June 26, 2009

Does the Notary need to check the government photo id of the Witnesses?

I record and check the government photo id of witnesses. Furthermore,I sign them into my book. This is required if the notary certificate includes the names of the witnesses along with the signer(s). However, I do this regardless of what the notary certificate says. The client is not and should not be charged for this extra work. If there is controversy later, I have a record the witnesses in my notary journal.This may be redundant since many drafter of wills and power of attorney documents require the witnesses to put their name & address. Maybe it would also be good idea of signers and witnesses to also write down their email. People move. A very good British friend moved but I tracked him down since I had his email. People sometimes keep the same email for years.