Is there a specific order to use when notarizing a will, general poa, living will, and durable poa? I have a signing like this, this afternoon.
Whatever order they hand 'em to you will work as you’re doing 'em all on the same day.
On that Will, be sure your state wants Wills notarized. Some states don’t, but do allow other related documents to be notarized. My state has a ‘self-proving Affidavit’ signed by Testator & witnesses and THAT document is notarized, but the Will is not. (I know, it’s counter-intuitive, but it is what it is.)
Same here in Florida - Self-Proving Affidavit on will is signed - but I think you’re only notarizing the witnesses signatures - it avoids trying to hunt them down if and when the Will is probated and a problem comes up
Here - POAs are notarized too but other end of life docs are not but all MAY require witnesses
As for order - depending on age/infirmity of signer, I might do longer docs first - they may get tired toward end and some of those durable POAs are multiple pages and require many initials. Also very depending on situation - you’ll want to do the Will first if the witnesses need to get going and are in a hurry, or do it last if they’re not there yet.
Bottom line is the order is not crucial and is flexible dependent on the situation of all concerned.
CA: wills generally meet all the requirements for a notarized document, I’ve been cautioned against stepping over the “giving legal advice” line by telling the signers that California Probate doesn’t not recognize notarized wills, but at the same time how can we simply ignore the fact that somebody may be making a costly error that might cause a lot of harm and not saying something.
I’m really not seeing uninformed Will signers as the internet does a pretty good job at telling DIY Will makers what is needed in their state. But, just like the notario publico disclaimer… I am not an attorney, but in my experience as a notary, I’ve never seen a Will notarized so you may want to seek an attorney’s advice. I’m not a mechanic either, but if you were about to take a water hose and fill your car’s gas tank, I’d say to you that’s probably not a good idea.