A Notary is a practicing and admitted attorney that has passed an additional practical examination in respect of the practice, functions and duties of a Notary. This extra examination gives Notaries a further qualification, which bestows upon them statutory powers to witness documents and signatures, draw and attest to contracts and statements, authenticate the validity of certain documents, administer oaths, and perform other wide-ranging administrative functions of a national and international nature.

Due to the ethical nature of the services which Notaries render and the specialist knowledge required to draft and/or legalize certain documents, the office of a Notary is considered to be held to a higher standard of care than a “run-of-the-mill” attorney.

Therefore, unlike a commissioner of oaths, an attorney is not automatically authorized to act as a Notary by virtue of their profession or designation. The additional practical examination as mentioned above, needs to be completed and passed before an attorney can practice as a Notary. Notarizing a document, (which is verifying it to be a true copy of an original document), does not necessarily require a client’s presence (although there are some exceptions). To accomplish this notarization, the Notary will attach a completed and signed notarial certificate to the front of the copy of the original document, and affix a seal next to their signature. Documents that are going to be used for international purposes, be it for an individual or company, can only be signed before a Notary.