I notarized papers today that will be apostilled. My assignment was to notarize and drop. I just got this message. Is this a requirement? I’m a teacher until 3:30 pm. I don’t know what to say…
“Also, how much would you charge to take the documents to the Shelby county clerk’s office on Monday to get your notary signature authenticated on the documents? Please advise.”
Give them a price! The SOS will most likely have a fee for “expedited” review. In WA state that is $100 (per document - not notary seal). That should be included in your fee since you will be asked to pay it at the time of processing. Include your travel time and distance. For me that is a 90 minute drive, one-way. Your round-trip will cut into your availability for other assignments that day. Take that into consideration. Also, you don’t know how long processing will take, so you may have wait time, especially if the lobby is active. I do these several times a year and my base fee is $500 for expedited handling and guaranteed turn around in 48 hours or less, all inclusive.
@carrieh0829 You may want to reference the thread on Creating A Schedule of Fees:
======
Specifically for Apostille quotations - there are multiple additional elements to factor into your calculations when compared to General Notary Work [GNW] or Signing Orders [SOs].
Please review the thoroughly detailed summation as provided by @Tisino in her post above as it’s fairly close to my process with the exception of Drive Time, which is 2 hours one-way.
Good Luck!
Wouldn’t your documents go to the Secretary of State in your state? Why the county clerk?
@Notary_veg is right. And to answer your immediate question, it’s necessary if the document is going out of the country. Here for Texas
It’s also possible you were dealing with a hiring party who has no idea what they’re talking about. @Tisino is right too - contact your SOS and see if they’re accepting expedited requests…according to the info contained in the above link, they are currently working on requested for March 31, 2025…so they are backed up a bit. (Florida website states 3 day turnaround but it’s actually about 8 weeks!!!)
Expedited requests can be done in two ways: by mail/shipping or in-person counter service. If your client opts for the slower process, then you are correct to call first to estimate the timeline for return shipping of documents. In WA state the usual turn-around is 3-4 weeks for regular processing ($15/document payable to SOS). Expedited processing by this method is advertised at 1 week - 10 days ($100 payable to SOS). I inform clients that this timeline is just an estimate. I can file the apostille for them using this method (which I charge at half the price - which means I pay the shipping to/from costs, I do the follow-up phoning to find out when they received the packet and bug SOS about the timeline to keep them honest about return date estimate). But, it’s iffy and you’ve already included the check for $100 expecting a return of their certificate by a certain date. I don’t recommend this to my clients.
If your SOS has an in-person filing desk, they usually have reserve times for those processes. That is the expedited service I reference in my prior post, for which I charge a fee to do the legwork. It’s the same $100 SOS processing fee for counter service. But you have the assurance you are going to walk out of the department with certificate in hand. Most clients are usually behind the eight-ball and need document(s) in short order, which is why they pay for my service. Of course, they can do this on their own, but most people don’t want the hassle of taking the time to figure out and walk through the process, plus taking the time off to drive to their seat of government not knowing what to expect. For those that are willing, I have a cheat-sheet giving them step-by-step instructions on best days to go, where and how to get there, assuring paperwork for filing is correct. I charge them for the “tutorial”, which starts at $100 - that includes my notarization of the documents. Even at $500+, it’s cheaper and more efficient all around for them to hire me to do it.
@Tisino Most of my clients for these professional services are upscale & they regularly opt for my services as their TIME is very valuable to them. Also, prompt, efficient results include the ‘bird dogging’ process following the “package” throughout the process & it’s “perfect” (according to their opinions).
======
Tangentially, it’s quite reassuring to know there are other business owners who work diligently to ensure every action taken (including posts on a forum/internet) are responsible, carefully delineated, & accurate.
Also, Thank You 
for continuing the directive from Carol Ray 
to make every action an effort to further the professional level of our services to achieve a well-deserved solid reputation in the public sphere. 
.
Consider me Grateful 
It’s been a confusing assignment. At first I was supposed notarize and then fedex the papers to the SOS right after. Now he wants me to go the county clerk. I told him I can’t because I teach until 3:30 pm. I still haven’t even received the fedex label. And the client asked if the docs could be overnighted to their international location. The hiring company said yes. Now the whole thing is in limbo. The earliest I could get to a clerk is 4 pm. He hasn’t responded to my no I can’t response or sent a fedex label. I feel bad for the client.
Also, in the initial instructions, he said notarize 4 document affidavits and collect the 4 documents. Scan them back. I scanned and he asked why I didn’t staple each doc affidavit to each document. That was not in the initial instructions and I don’t feel comfortable stapling any papers unless told to do so.
Am I messing this up?
It sounds like this was an assignment and not general notary work. If an assignment, your job was done when you completed the notarization and scans. You are only waiting for the labels to return the documents to them. I would just inform him that you are not available for the additional work and ask for the label again. If he doesn’t provide it, case closed. Especially since he already has the scanned documents. However, in order to receive the apostille, he will need the originals. So the ball is in his court. No need to explain yourself otherwise. “No” is a complete sentence!
