Document Types

Below is a list of common questions regarding document types. If your question can't be found here, please return to the Frequently Asked Questions categories or .

1. Can you just sign and stamp my document?
2. Can a birth or death certificate be notarized?
3. Can a patent or copyright be notarized?
4. Can a will be notarized?
5. Can a photograph be notarized?
6. Can a Power of Attorney be notarized?

Can you just sign and stamp my document?
It is a completely meaningless act for a Notary merely to sign and stamp any document. This does not constitute a valid legal notarization. If there is no certificate wording pre-printed at the end of your document, then you must find out the required wording from the office that issued the document, or the office where it is to be filed. You should ask whether a jurat or acknowledgment (see Notary Process for definitions) is required.

Can a birth or death certificate be notarized?
A notary is not authorized to notarize or certify a copy of a birth or death certificate, despite what you may have been told by an airline or travel agency. Only a custodian of vital records can properly certify an original or copy of a birth or death certificate. Additionally, some states, including California prohibit Notaries from certifying copies of any document.

Can a patent or copyright be notarized?
You cannot secure a patent or copyright or protect your ownership of an idea merely by visiting a Notary. If you are instructed by an attorney or federal agency to have a particular document notarized to protect your ownership of an idea, then you must present the notary with a notarial certificate to fill out, and you must be very specific about what you want done.

Can a will be notarized?
A California Notary should not proceed in notarizing a will unless clear instructions and notarial wording are provided, and only upon specific instructions by an attorney.

Can a photograph be notarized?
Notaries have no authority to notarize or certify photographs to verify their contents. It just can't lawfully be done, even for a foreign passport or medical license application. Often acceptable in place of a notarized photograph is your notarized signature beneath your written statement on a paper attached to the photo. With this solution, the Notary is certifying the genuineness of your signature and not the photograph. Contact the receiving agency to see if this is an acceptable substitute.

Can a Power of Attorney be notarized?
A Notary can certify copies of powers of attorney. A certified copy of a power of attorney that has been certified by a Notary has the same force and effect as the original power of attorney. (Probate Code section 4307)