How to Notarize Car Titles
A notary public is someone who has the legal authority to witness signatures, and confirm validity of documents such as car titles. Most states require that signatures on car titles are notarized, or signed by a notary. The National Notary Association provides training and testing for those who wish to hold the become notaries public. Some states have more stringent guidelines to becoming a notary, but most share a few basic requirements.
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Instructions
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Meet the minimum requirements for becoming a notary in your state. All states require the following to become a notary public: U.S. citizenship, residency of the state in which you are to be certified in, and good moral character. You must also be at least 18 years of age. To show citizenship, you will need a birth certificate or Social Security card. For proof of age and identity, your driver's license or picture ID will work. You can prove residency by showing utility bills or home mortgage contract documents. There is not a specific document to prove that you have good moral character, but you may want to prepare a statement by a friend who can vouch that you're honest and reliable.
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Apply for a notary public certificate at the National Notary Association's website (see Resources). They offer three types of notary membership; minimum, standard, and professional. Any of these types of membership will allow you to sign car titles. The professional membership offers $50,000 liability protection insurance and costs $80. Standard membership costs $54, and offers half the insurance of professional. Minimum membership offers no insurance and costs $16. After applying and being approved for notary status, begin to offer your services.
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Start offering your notary services in local trade-papers or online. There is a limit to how much you can charge for a single page or single signature notarization such as a car title. You must learn your state's fee limits before notarizing any documents. Notarizing a car title is as simple as reviewing the title for legitimacy, and signing or stamping the title. Car titles have special watermarks that do not show properly when copied, which makes it easy to determine whether a title is legitimate.
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Tips & Warnings
Advertise your Notary services with local used car lots, this is somewhere that the service is needed on a daily basis.
Overcharging for a notary fee can result in loss of notary public status. Most states only allow up to a $2.00 fee to be charged by the notary on single-page (car title) notarization. You can find the limit for your state by clicking the "notary fee limits" link in Resources.
Resources
- Photo Credit signing a contract image by William Berry from Fotolia.com
