Power of Attorney Notary in Sacramento & Placer Counties

Power of attorney documents can arise during estate planning, financial matters, real estate transactions, travel, illness, family planning and other important situations.

When the document requires a notarization, Book CA Notary can meet the signer at a home, office, hospital, care facility or another appropriate location.

Our role is to perform the requested notarial act in accordance with California notary law. We do not prepare the power of attorney, choose the type of power of attorney, select the notarial act for the signer, or provide legal advice.

1. Request the appointment

Tell us where the signer is, what document needs notarization, how many people must sign, and when you are hoping to meet.

1. Coordinate the meeting

We will discuss the appointment location and scheduling. For a hospital or care facility, share any visitor or access instructions before the notary travels.

1. Prepare the document and identification

Have the complete document and satisfactory evidence of identity permitted by California law ready. Ask the document provider or receiving organization which notarial act is required; the notary cannot choose it for you.

1. Meet with the notary

The signer must personally appear. If the document requires a jurat, sign it in the notary’s presence and take the required oath or affirmation. For an acknowledgment, the signer appears and acknowledges executing the document.

1. Complete the requested act

If the requirements for the requested notarial act are met, the notary completes the appropriate certificate and journal entry. A power-of-attorney document also requires the journal thumbprint described below.

For a smoother appointment, please have:

• The document requiring notarization
• All pages associated with the document
• Satisfactory evidence of identity as permitted by California law
• Any additional signers who must personally appear
• Any witnesses required by the document or receiving agency, when applicable

Do not sign ahead of time if the requested notarial act requires the signature to be made in the notary's presence.

If you are unsure what type of notarization the document requires, contact the document's issuing agency, receiving agency or a qualified legal professional before the appointment.

Journal Thumbprint: California requires a journal thumbprint when notarizing a power-of-attorney document. The notary will complete this requirement as part of the appointment.

A power of attorney notarization is sometimes needed while a signer is in a hospital, rehabilitation center, assisted living community, skilled nursing facility or other care setting.

Book CA Notary can travel to many of these locations.

Facility rules, visitor requirements, signer availability and identification should be considered when arranging the appointment.

A California notary performs the notarial act required by law but does not make medical determinations or provide legal advice about whether a person should execute a power of attorney.

California notarial acts such as acknowledgments and jurats require the signer to personally appear before the notary.

A phone call, photograph, prerecorded video or ordinary video call is not a substitute for the required personal appearance before a California notary under current California law.

Book CA Notary provides mobile service so the notary can travel to the signer when appropriate.

California law establishes the forms of satisfactory evidence that may be used to identify a signer.

The identification method available can depend on the circumstances of the appointment.

If the signer does not have conventional identification available, contact us before the appointment so the situation can be discussed before the notary travels to the location.

A California notary is not acting as the signer's attorney simply by notarizing a document.

Book CA Notary does not decide:

• Which type of power of attorney someone should use
• What authority should be granted
• Who should be appointed as agent
• How the document should be written
• Which notarial act a signer should choose

Questions about the legal effect or preparation of a power of attorney should be directed to a qualified legal professional or the organization requesting the document.

Book CA Notary provides mobile appointments throughout Sacramento and Placer Counties and surrounding areas within our service area.

Appointments may be available at homes, offices, hospitals, care facilities and other agreed meeting locations.

Contact us with the location and requested appointment time to discuss availability.