Questions people ask

California law sets the maximum fee for the notarial act itself at $15 per signature for acknowledgments and jurats. That is a legal cap, not May’s preference - no notary in the state may charge more for those acts.

A mobile notary also charges a separate travel fee, which California does not cap. May quotes that fee before she sets out, so you know the full cost before she leaves. Loan signings are usually a flat fee arranged with the escrow, title company or signing service.

Call with the details - how many signatures, where you are - and you will get a straight number.

Every signer needs valid, current photo identification issued by a government body. A California driver’s licence or ID card, a US passport, a foreign passport, a military ID or a permanent resident card all work.

The name on the identification must match the name on the document. If your document says "Margaret" and your licence says "Peggy", tell May when you call - there are ways to handle it, but she needs to know beforehand.

If a signer has no acceptable identification, California allows identification through credible witnesses. Ask about it when you call.

No. Leave the document unsigned. A notary must witness the signature being made, so a document signed in advance has to be signed again in front of her.

Bring the complete document, too - a notary cannot notarize a page detached from the rest of it.

Not as a California notary. California has passed a law authorizing remote online notarization, but it does not become operative until the Secretary of State completes the necessary technology - and by statute no later than 1 January 2030. Until then, a California notary must be in the physical presence of the signer.

That is exactly why May travels. If you cannot get to a notary, she comes to you, which solves the same problem the law has not caught up with yet.

No, and be cautious of any notary who says otherwise. A notary public is not an attorney and may not give legal advice or draft documents. Choosing the right form, deciding what it should say, or advising on the consequences of signing is the practice of law.

What May can do is confirm the identity of the signers, witness the signature, complete the notarial certificate correctly and record the act in her journal. If you need help deciding what to sign, speak to an attorney first.

Often, yes - particularly in Riverside, Corona, Moreno Valley, Jurupa Valley and Eastvale, where May is based. Hospital and care facility calls are prioritised.

For Orange County, Temecula or Murrieta, a day’s notice makes a same-day slot much more likely. Call early and she will tell you honestly whether she can make it.

Yes, and May does this regularly. She works with nursing staff around visiting hours and treatment schedules.

The signer must be conscious, able to understand what they are signing, and signing of their own free will. They must also be able to communicate - through an interpreter if needed, though the interpreter cannot be a party to the document. If the signer is sedated, disoriented or unable to indicate consent, May cannot proceed. She will tell you so rather than take a fee for something that will not hold up.

Morning appointments often work best, as signers are usually most alert then.

An apostille is a certificate issued by the California Secretary of State confirming that a notary seal or an official signature on a California document is genuine. Countries that are party to the Hague Convention accept it in place of any further legalization.

You need one if a California document is going to be used abroad - dual citizenship applications, marriage overseas, foreign property, adoption files, international business registrations and overseas study all commonly require it.

The order of steps matters, and getting it wrong means starting over. May handles the sequence and the submission for you.

Usually 45 minutes to an hour for a refinance, and a little longer for a purchase. Reverse mortgages tend to run longest because of the additional counselling disclosures.

Have your identification ready, and make sure everyone on the loan is present. A missing borrower is the single most common reason a signing has to be rescheduled.

Cash, card, Zelle or Venmo for individual appointments, settled at the end of the visit. Signing services, escrow and title companies are invoiced on their usual terms.

Some documents do - wills and certain estate planning documents commonly require witnesses in addition to notarization, and the requirements differ by document.

A notary is not automatically a witness, and May cannot serve as a witness on a document she is notarizing. Check the document’s own instructions, and arrange for witnesses who are not named in it. Tell May when you book so she can allow enough time.

Each signer must appear before the notary in person, but they do not all have to appear at the same time or place. May can notarize one signer today and another tomorrow, or travel to two addresses in the same trip.

Tell her when you call and she will work out the most economical way to do it.