04/30/2026
What Do You Really Pay a Notary For? (It’s Not the Seal)
Notarization is a check without which a document may not work. The notary confirms the identity, checks the signature and that the person is acting voluntarily. Without this, the document may not be accepted - depending on the requirements of a particular body or country.
This is not a formality. This is a key condition for the document to have legal force.
Often, clients apply with already signed documents or with templates from the Internet. In such cases, everything has to be done anew. Another common problem is inappropriate identity documents. A separate topic is documents for use abroad. An apostille confirms the notary's signature, but does not verify the content of the document. Therefore, errors may appear in another country.
It is also worth being careful with intermediaries - notarial actions must be performed personally by the notary. A seal is just a sign. The value lies in the responsibility that stands behind it.
We analyzed more in an article on the website: https://constantaparalegal.ca/