Some states provide strong criminal or civil penalties for violating the presence requirement. Such violation is also grounds for disciplinary action by state officials, including the possibility of suspension from office or revocation of your notary commission. Additionally, a court could hold you liable for any damages sustained by the injured party as a result of forgery or fraud. Notaries may not notarize their own signature. In fact, doing so is a criminal penalty in many states.
Some states actually prohibit notaries from notarizing for their family members.
Other states are silent on the issue. Notaries should be neutral in all transactions and should refrain from performing their official duties for any family members. Instead, the notary solemnizes the marriage with a ceremony and then certifies certain information on the marriage record. A notary must be an impartial witness in the notarial transaction and is, therefore, prohibited from providing the notarial service if the notary is a party to or has a financial or beneficial interest in the transaction.