Do all banks have notaries to notarize documents?

Now, you cannot talk about notarizing documents without bringing a notary public into the picture. A notary public acts as a commissioned individual who becomes an impartial witness. The primary responsibility of a public notary is to verify the identity of the person signing the document. The question is, do all banks have notaries? Yes.

Commercial brick-and-mortar banks keep employed notaries in their branches. The truth is that sooner or later – you will have to notarize a document. Notarizing documents is an essential element of the business world. The electronic and digital notary software market is set to grow at 21.5% in the next five years.

Whether it’s a rental agreement, a power of attorney, a deed of trust, or a claim deed, most documents require a public notary. So, when you’re ready to notarize an important document, people usually advise you to go to a local bank to locate a public notary.

In layman’s terms, banks have direct access to various public notaries at their branches. In fact, most banks now hire a notary public across different branches to offer direct and cost-effective notarization services for account holders.

Here’s a simplified look at understanding how notaries work for banks and opting for more suitable notary options:

4 different types of notary

Notaries maintain secure records of witnessed transactions. A notary has to be honest and transparent to get appointed by the state to witness the signing of documents. Contrary to naïve misconception, there is more than one type of notarization. 

Getting someone to witness the document signing is a standard type of notary. People often forget that they can use a notary to facilitate different services.

Here are the four major types of notary:

1. Signature witnessing

Witnessing a signature is arguably the most common notarization type. It is a process where a notary reviews the custodian’s document and verifies the person’s identity before signing a document. After verification, a notary places a name, date, and notary stamp on the document.

2. Oath and Affirmations

This type of notary is relatively different from standard signature witnessing. Affirmations and oaths work in situations where the custodian of the legal document states honorable intentions. For example, a wedding is a common situation that requires this type of notary.

3. Copy certification

As the title suggests, this type of notary verifies a copy of a government document. Typically, copy certification applies to original documents that have an official seal. It can include marriage licenses, driver’s license, leases, social security cards, diplomas, vehicle titles, and medical records.  

4. Jurat

Jurat is the combination of oaths, affirmations, and signature witnessing. In this type of notary, the custodian of a document provides relevant documents for identification. After verification in the presence of a notary, the custodian swears an oath confirming the submitted information in documents is accurate.

Do all banks have notaries?

Most brick-and-mortar banks have at least one notary present in the branch. But the wise course of action is usually to call and confirm whether or not the bank has a notary. Technically, you just need to bring a proper photo ID and make sure not to sign the document without the presence of a notary.

Like financial institutions, banks are open about offering dedicated notary services. But the fact remains that not every bank offers notary services, which propels people to explore other options. Ideally, you can go to your nearest bank with a document and get it notarized.

Unfortunately, notarization services by banks are not as swift as most people expect. Not to mention, you need to be an account holder of the bank to notarize a document. But if you’re a customer of a bank, you probably won’t have to pay for the notary services.

On the flip side, don’t expect to notarize a document if you’re not a customer of the bank. If you want to notarize a document as a non-customer, the bank can charge you around $15-20 for each document.

Even if a bank has a notary public in place, you may have to wait before the notary public becomes available. But not everyone is patient, which drives people to check out several branches at once in the hope of finding a readily available notary public.

4 banks that have notaries

Here are banks that offer free and effective notarization services to their customers:

1. Bank of America

Bank of America offers free notary services to its customers. However, BoA offers its notary services at specific financial centers. It also requires customers to contact their local center beforehand to confirm the availability of notary service.

2. Capital One

Capital One offers free notary services to its customers. You can find notaries at full-service locations of Capital One. Since the availability of a notary varies from branch to branch, customers are required to make an appointment.  

3. Citibank

You may have to inquire from your local Citibank to find out how much it charges for a specific notary service. Also, not all Citibank branches provide notary services. Once you find a branch that offers notary services, make an appointment.

4. Chase Bank

Chase Bank offers free notary services to its clients. As a non-customer, you can still visit a nearby branch of the Chase Bank to inquire about the fees and requirements to avail notary services.

What are other options available to notarize documents?

You can leverage other options if you don’t want to notarize your documents from a bank. There are many ways to notarize documents and avail public notary services in a competitive financial landscape.

Oftentimes, people make the mistake of assuming that a bank is the only way to notarize a document. Sure, maybe a decade or two ago, but now there are many options available for people to notarize their documents in an effective and prompt manner.

• Notarize documents remotely with a straightforward process and management control via PandaDoc Notary. It is the most efficient, transparent, and future-proof way to notarize documents. You can even automate documents and accelerate the notarization process.

• You can notarize documents through smaller banks in your area that accommodate non-account holders.
• The clerk’s office in your city can help you notarize a document.
• Notaries are often present in the public libraries and help individuals notarize documents.
• Logistics and supply chain stores of FedEx and UPS can help you notarize a document.
• AAA members can reach out to the local AAA office to find out if there is an available notary.
• Tax preparation firms and insurance companies usually employ a notary public.

Despite all the options, meeting the requirements to notarize a document is crucial. You don’t have to figure out all the technical needs. Instead, follow a standard process to notarize a document and how it works for customers and non-customers in financial institutions and banks.

While the same rules apply, you will enjoy added convenience and affordable rates when notarizing a document via a platform like PandaDoc Notary. Unlike all these options, notarizing documents with PandaDoc Notary comes with many perks.

How does PandaDoc Notary work?

Here are a few key steps you can take to notarize a document through the PandaDoc Notary platform:

Step 1

One of the perks of notarizing documents on PandaDoc is that you will find readily available notaries who can process your request in no time.

Step 2

Go through your email confirmation to check all the appointment details. Use an integrated link within the mail to join the notarization session. Expect a notary to ask a few questions to verify your identification.

You can rely on PandaDoc’s online notary agent to better understand the remote notarization process, act as a signature witness, address concerns, and confirm your identity.

Step 3

Once everything checks out – a notary will notarize your document. Last but not least, make sure the downloadable copy of the notarized document is correct.

Using PandaDoc Notary Remote Online Notarization makes more sense to save time and money.

Final thoughts

Business professionals understand that notarization ties together with legal compliance. After notarization, a private document turns into a public instrument. You can also put in place contract agreements after notarizing a document. Notarizing a document serves as solid proof and validates its authenticity.

So, what happens if you decide to sign a document without the presence of a notary? Well, don’t expect the notary to notarize it. Instead, you will have to send another copy of the document and sign it in the presence of a notary public.

No need to depend on traditional brick-and-mortar banks when you can notarize your documents with PandaDoc Notary!

PandaDoc Notary

PandaDoc Notary offers a simple notarization process and cuts out all the conventional barriers that make notarizing documents difficult. If you want to notarize documents in a remote and cost-effective manner, then opt for PandaDoc Notary. Our unique remote notary services are future-proof that instantly verify digital and electronic documents.