A notary’s role is to verify the identity of people signing important documents by viewing photo identification that includes the person’s signature. They must verify that the signer is aware of the contents of the transaction or document and is signing voluntarily, and is not under duress or being intimidated. With certain notarizations, the notary must also verify that the information contained in the document is correct.
Notarized documents have been certified by a notary public who witnessed the signing of the documents to ensure that the process was not fraudulent and the authorities can trust that the documents were signed under the right conditions by the appropriate parties.
A notary must not provide notary services if they have a personal interest in the situation. They must also maintain impartiality and not refuse to serve anyone due to status as a non-customer, nationality, race, politics, religion or sexual orientation.