Please Stay Within Your Notarial Jurisdiction

I’m an Alabama Notary Public.

I received a phone call from a mother in California. Her daughter was married here in southern Alabama at the beginning of October. She said a friend from California notarized the Alabama Marriage Certificate at the wedding in Alabama.

She told me she realized a couple of weeks after the wedding the marriage was not legal because the notary was out of her jurisdiction and was not authorized to notarize in Alabama.

She asked me If I could notarize a new Marriage Certificate when they come back in a couple weeks. I told her yes I would be honored. She then told me that the only problem is that her daughter died 2 weeks ago.

She went on to say while crying perfusely that this has to happen, my daughter wanted this wedding, this must happen… please can you Notarize a new marriage certificate using my daughter’s original signature.

in short, I apologized and informed her that I was not able to without her daughter being present. I told her she should speak to a lawyer. She understood, thanked me and hung up.

My point is, because of this California Notary’s ignorance, this family’s dream for their daughter to be married was shattered.

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Wow…what a horrible situation. I feel so sorry for that Mom.

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That’s really sad. So you can you notarize a marriage certificate in Alabama?

No thanks………………….…….

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Notaries are only allowed to notarize documents in the state in which they are certified (even if those documents are from out of state). Of course, if you have residences in more than one state, and depending on how your Secretary of State statutes and provisions are written, you may hold notarial certifications in each such state. But, no, if you are just visiting a state and you happen to have your notary stamp with you doesn’t mean you can start notarizing documents in that state.

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One little caveat here…well a couple

In some states, like Virginia, notaries can notarize in adjoining states if the notarized document is to be used/recorded in Virginia; and

A notary who has become a Commissioner of Deeds has authority in those other states and territories that recognize that authority