Fact on Hurricane and windstorm deductibles
What does it mean to “notarize” a document?
When you submit insurance loss declarations or prepare various declarations or sworn statements for court, for example, there is a step in the process that requires a number of documents to be witnesses by a Notary (or “notarized”). Notarization is a fraud-deterrent process that helps to ensure a document is authentic and ultimately can be trusted. These documents may be relating to a private matter or related to the Provincial Government or international matter. Above all, the process ensures that a document is real, that the signature is valid, and that the signer has been identified and is acting with their own will and intention.
How many Types of Notarizations are out there?
While there are millions of forms and documents that require to be notarized, basically there are 2 major Categories of Notarizations:
- Certifying True Copies of Original Documents; and
- Witnessing Sworn statements, Declarations, and other various Forms.
If you require a notarized or “certified” copy of an original document, you will need to bring the original and a copy of that document (or we can make a copy for you). After comparing the original with the copy and making sure that they are the same, we would stamp that document, certifying that this is “true copy of the original document”.
However, most of the notarizations are sworn statements or declarations that need to be signed “before” or “in front of” the Notary. Normally, you would need to fill out the details of the document, but DO NOT sign it until you bring it in and have a Notary in our office witness your signature!
What are the Steps of Notarizing a Document?
A Notary Public is an official who verifies the identities of those who are signing the document, witnesses the signature of the document, and marks it with a “seal”. As part of the process, there are steps to follow to ensure its validity.
- Verification of identity – A Notary requires identification from anyone who is signing the document. This includes a government-issued photo identification plus another document that has the client’s signature. The Notary will confirm your ID and then take a scan or make a copy for recording purposes.
- Ensure you are a willing signer – While witnessing your signature, the Notary will look for any signs of undue influence or coercion in order to determine if you are signing out of your own free will and nobody else is forcing you (either directly or indirectly) to sign it. Remember, if the Notary is in doubt that you’re being “unduly influenced”, he/she has the right to refuse witnessing your signing.
- Ensure you are capable of making this decision/sign this document – Similar to the second point above, a Notary needs to verify that you are of sound mind and capable of making this decision, meaning you understand the document(s) you are signing. The Notary does have the ability to decline validation of the document(s) if you are medicated, intoxicated or generally unable to understand what is happening.
What are the Steps of Notarizing a Document?
To get a document notarized, you can book an appointment and visit a Notary Public, so he/she can witness your signing, by following these steps:
- Bring your official identification – As mentioned before, the Notary will ask for verification of your identify (that you are who you say you are). In order to prove your identity, you will need to bring 1 official identification with a photograph (driver’s license, passport, citizenship card, permanent resident card, firearm license, etc.), and a 2nd piece of ID that doesn’t have to have a photograph (birth certificate, SIN card, credit card, etc.).
- Bring your original documents (or send ahead of time, to confirm that we can notarize it) – Dependent on the document, we may require a copy sent ahead of time, so we can confirm the price and that we can do it. Be sure to bring your unsigned copy to the Notary and do not sign it ahead of time.
- Sign and pay your fee – The notarization fee may depend on the type of document, the amount of liability it carries with it, the number of copies that need notarized, and the amount of time required to do it. The payment may be done at the time of signing or via e-transfer, before the appointment.
Why do some documents need to be notarized?
Getting a document notarized means that the signature is legitimate, the person signing it was identified, and he/she was fully capable of signing it and was not under an undue influence from a third party. The work of Notaries is generally in the realm of provincial laws although notarized documents are recognized nationally, and sometimes internationally (if they are legalized and authenticated in a certain way, as required by the country of destination).
