Questions I get asked most

California sets the list in Civil Code section 1185, and it's narrower than people expect. The everyday ones are a California driver's license or DMV ID card, and a US passport. Also fine: a driver's license or ID card from another state, a license from a Canadian or Mexican authority, a US military ID, a passport or consular ID from your country of citizenship, an employee ID from a California state, city or county agency, and an ID from a federally recognized tribal government. Everything in that second group has to carry a photo, a physical description, your signature and a serial number. What doesn't count, however official it looks: a student card, a warehouse club card, a work badge from a private employer, a birth certificate, or a Social Security card. The name on your ID also has to reasonably match the name on the document.

Often not. This is the one most people get wrong, in both directions. California accepts identification that is current, or that was issued within the past five years. So a license that lapsed a few months back is often still fine. It's the issue date that decides, not the expiry. Look for "ISS" on the front of a California license. What won't work is an ID issued more than five years ago, even by a day. If yours is close to that line, text me a photo of the front when you book and I'll tell you before I drive out rather than after.

There's a legal way round it, and it's worth knowing before you give up on the appointment. California lets credible witnesses establish your identity instead: either one witness I personally know, or two witnesses who each show acceptable ID of their own. A credible witness has to swear they know who you are, and they can't have any stake in the document. It takes some arranging, so tell me when you book rather than on the day.

Depends which notarial act your document needs, and waiting is always safe. For an acknowledgment, which is the common one and what you'll see on deeds, powers of attorney and most real estate paperwork, California doesn't require you to sign in front of me. Signing beforehand is fine, as long as you show up in person and acknowledge the signature is yours. A jurat is different. That's for swearing a document's contents are true, and Government Code section 8202 says the signer has to sign in the notary's presence, no exceptions. The paperwork often doesn't spell out which certificate it needs, and I'm not allowed to pick for you, so leaving it unsigned is the safe default. If it's already signed and turns out to need a jurat, you just sign a fresh copy.

Two parts, kept separate because California requires it. State law caps the notarial fee at $15 per signature. Travel is $50 across central San Diego and $80 elsewhere within 15 miles, with a +$25 surcharge evenings after 7pm, weekends and holidays. Every figure is on the pricing page, and you get the total before anything is booked.

No, and be wary of any notary who offers to. A notary public isn't an attorney. Explaining what a document does, recommending which form to use, or telling you whether to sign is practising law. What I can do is confirm your identity, take your acknowledgment or administer the oath, and fill in the notarial certificate correctly.

Not personally. A notary can't witness a document they're also notarizing. Some documents need one or two extra witnesses, so line up a neighbor, coworker or friend who isn't named in the document and has no stake in it. Tell me ahead of time if you need a hand arranging it.

That's a routine part of the work. The requirement doesn't change: the signer has to be able to communicate what they want, understand that they're signing, and do it willingly. If someone is heavily sedated, disoriented or clearly being leaned on, I have to stop. That protects them.

Yes. A California notary can notarize a document headed anywhere, as long as the signing physically happens in California. It doesn't work the other way round: I can't cross a state line to notarize.

Call or text and you'll hear back within the hour. Same-day is often possible, and evenings and weekends are normal for me rather than a favour. The honest answer depends on the day, but you'll get a real time rather than a maybe.

Credit and debit cards, Venmo, Apple Pay — taken at the appointment. Cash works too. Just let me know ahead of time. Title companies and signing services are invoiced on their usual terms.

It happens. An ID that won't work, a missing page, a signer who changes their mind. If I can't complete the notarization you owe the travel fee only, never the notarial fee. And you'll get a clear list of what to fix so the second attempt works.