A notary is a public official, an officer of the State of California, who is appointed by the Secretary of State of California to be an impartial witness.

A notary verifies only the identity of the individual who signed the document, and not the truthfulness, accuracy, or validity of that document. In most cases, notaries are certifying that the person who is named on the document, is the person who actually signed the document. 

In other cases, a notary is certifying that the person physically signed the document in front of the notary, made a statement about the document and took an oath to its truthfulness. 

A notary can also administer oaths or affirmations. 

Many people think that they have a document that needs to be notarized.  In actuality, it is the signature on the document that is notarized.  

I proudly serve the Riverside County Coachella Valley communities of:  Big Horn, Cathedral City, Coachella, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, and Sun City.

There is typically a travel and convenience fee of $50-$100, plus $15 per notarized signature (per the California Secretary of State guidelines), but please contact me for a quote for your situation.

In general, for most areas of the Coachella Valley, the fee is $15 per notarized signature, plus a travel and convenience fee of $50 during normal business hours / $100 for after 5pm and weekends. For traveling to Cathedral City and Palm Springs, there is a minimum $100 charge, which includes up to 3 notarized signatures, plus $15 per notarized signature beyond the first three.

If your appointment requires more time, attention or research than a basic notarization, the fee is $100 minimum, which includes up to 3 notarized signatures.

For a direct quote for your particular situation, and to coordinate a time to meet, please call or text me at:  (760) 800-8500.  If I am at an appointment when you reach out, I will get back with you as soon as possible — that may be within a few minutes, or a few hours, depending on the type of service that I am providing to my existing client. 

I am a mobile notary, which means I come to you!  We can meet in the comfort and privacy of your own home,  or a mutually agreed upon public place. 

Please note that I work by APPOINTMENT ONLY, but same day appointments are possible, upon availability. 

Please do not stop by the Highway 111 office, as that is used solely as a business mailing address.

The most common ID is a Driver’s License, State ID or Passport. The ID must be current, NOT expired, unless issued within the last five (5) years. A paper extension from the DMV for an expired ID is NOT acceptable.

If a valid ID is not available, the signer must provide two credible witnesses to act as their ID. The credible witnesses must personally know the signer, and are not benefitting from, or named in the document. The credible witnesses will need to provide their own valid ID, take an oath and sign my notary journal. The name on the ID must support the name that appears on the document.  The ID can have more of your name than what appears on the document, but not less.  We can discuss ID vs document names, or exceptions, when you contact me. 

NOTE: If when we meet, the ID name does not support the name on the document, or if there are ID issues, and the notarization is not able to be performed, the travel and convenience fee is still due. 

I am not an attorney, and therefore, by law, I cannot explain or interpret the contents of any document for you, instruct you on how to complete a document, or direct you on the advisability of signing a particular document.

By doing so, I would be engaging in the unauthorized practice of law, and could face legal penalties that include the possibility of incarceration. Any important questions about your document should be addressed to the receiving party, or an attorney, lender or title company.

Payment is due at the time of service.  I accept cash, check, Zelle, Venmo or credit card. An additional fee of 5% will be added for Venmo or credit card payments.

The steps for a notarization are:

1) Personally appear

Everyone that needs to have their signature notarized, must personally appear before the notary, face to face.  NO EXCEPTIONS.

2) Have identification

You must have a valid ID or provide two credible witnesses who have their own valid IDs and will swear under oath and sign the notary journal. 

The most commonly used ID’s are a state Driver’s License, State ID, or Passport, which must be current, or have been issued within the past 5 years. 

A paper extension for an expired driver’s license is NOT acceptable.

The name on the ID must contain at least the same name as what appears on the document, or more. For example, if the document signature line has a middle initial, the ID must contain the middle initial or the full middle name; if the document signature line only has a first and last name, the ID may have a middle initial, a middle name or may have just the first and last name.  We can discuss ID vs document names, or exceptions, when you contact me. 

*** NOTE ***

If when we meet, the name on the ID does not support the name that appears on the document, and the notarization cannot be performed, the travel and convenience fee is still due.

3) Document must be completely filled out – no blanks or missing portions

By law, a notary is not permitted to tell you which legal document you need or how to fill it out. A notary may not provide you with any forms or documents, or give you any advice on how to fill them out.  If you have questions about what document you need, or how to fill it out, you should contact an attorney or whoever will be receiving the document to advise you what they need.  I will visually scan the document to make sure that there are no blanks or missing portions, before the document can be notarized.  Most documents will already contain verbiage that advise the notary which notarial act to perform.  If that verbiage is not present on the document, a notary is not permitted to decide which notarial act to perform.  In that case, either the person who will be receiving the document needs to decide, or you can decide after I describe what the choices are.

4) Sign the notary journal

Details of your transaction will be written in my notary journal, which takes a few minutes to complete.  You will be required to sign the notary journal, and provide a thumbprint.

5) Document is stamped by the notary

The notarial certificate on your document will be filled out and stamped, to complete the notarization.

Apostilles and authentication certificates are both ways of certifying that U.S. documents are genuine and can be legally recognized in another country. Apostilles and authentication certificates verify signatures, stamps, or seals on important documents. These documents can include court orders, contracts, vital records, educational diplomas, and more .The country you will use the document in determines whether you will need an apostille or an authentication certificate. (source: https://www.usa.gov/authenticate-us-document)

My apostille partner goes to the Secretary of State's office in Sacramento twice a day, and has been working with that office doing apostilles for over 10 years. *** Please text me or email me a photo of your document (760-800-8500; [email protected]) so that I can send to my partner for review. *** Once she gives us the ok, I can meet you here in the Palm Desert area and pick up your documents. I will FedEx your documents to my partner in Sacramento, who will bring them to the Secretary State's office for the apostille or authentication to be completed. Once they are ready, your documents are FedEx'd directly back to you, or to a location that you specify.

Call me at 760-800-8500 for pricing and current processing times.

No.

Certified copies of birth, fetal death, death, and marriage records may be made only by the State Registrar, by duly appointed and acting local registrars during their term of office, and by county recorders. (Health & Safety Code section 103545) Source: Secretary of State of California

For obtaining certified copies of birth, death or marriage records for California, here is a link to the California Department of Public Health - Vital Statistics page:

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CHSI/Pages/Vital-Records.aspx

A notary public can certify copies of powers of attorney. A certified copy of a power ofattorney that has been certified by a notary public has the same force and effect as the originalpower of attorney. (Probate Code section 4307) Source: Secretary of State of California

I was shocked to discover that NONE of the notarizations on my own trust documents, nor the notarization on my mother’s Power of Attorney, would have held up in court if they had been challenged because the notaries in their law offices did not notarize them properly, despite being created by very reputable (and expensive) attorneys!  I won’t let that happen to you!

All notaries are required to take and satisfactorily pass a six-hour course of study approved by the Secretary of State of California prior to appointment as a notary public.  That’s as far as most notaries go. 

I am in the top 1% of notaries nation-wide with advanced trainings and certifications, and participate in weekly calls and trainings, as well as mentor other notaries. 

I specialize in trust signings, real estate loan signings, and reverse mortgage documents, but also enjoy individual notary requests. 

I love being a notary, and I do this full time, all day, every day!