We have received numerous reports from notaries across the country that have recently received a request from a “sovereign citizen” to notarize illegitimate docs. I’m posting the link to an article we published today for notaries who need to read it and get informed. The original post can be found here:
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@matt Thank You for the info/link to your article. 
If a sovereign citizen (interesting collection of words) believe themselves to be above the law,
then they don’t need a notary. Tell them I said “have a nice day” BYE
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Thank you so much for sharing this vital information.
The correct term is sovereign national, not sovereign citizen. In their view a citizen can never be sovereign. Incorrect terms like this shows a real lack of understanding of the topic and makes the article untrustworthy. Before people start writing articles they should do some research first.
They don’t think they are above the law. They are trying to get rights restored that are guaranteed to us by the US Constitution that they believe have been eroded over time. They are trying to do that for themselves and their families entirely through paperwork. They have a right to do that.
The documents are not fraudulent. No one is being defrauded. There are no victims here. Inflammatory terms like this are misleading and serve no purpose.
Where is the code section that tells us what makes a document “illegitimate”? Disagreeing with a person’s political views does not make a document “illegitimate”.
There is an alarming trend toward suppression of any speech that the government finds inconvenient. You find people being censored on social media when they have views or legitimate information that the powers that be don’t like. Such as Trump’s tweets and posts, doctors and scientists who disagreed with the vaccines, investigative reporters who were silenced, etc.
Please do not deny people rights just because their views are not popular.
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How do you record a sovereign in your journal if they don’t provide government issued ID? And, what jurat or acknowledgement statement is used on the document requiring notarization? Just wondering.
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With all due respect, I am not familiar with the term Sovereign National.
Don’t mean to offend anyone. Those of us who are in the legal profession and are in law enforcement have categorized the people who have these views as Sovereign Citizens.
As a notary, no matter how my potential clients may refer to themselves, I do not concern myself with that nor do I concern myself with the contents their document.
If it an acknowledgement is required, I only need to confirm that the person who signs the document in front of me is who they say that they are.
If a jurat is required, then the Signer is affirming that the contents of the documents are true…Not Me.
I am only required to confirm that there are no blanks in the body of the document, the signer can identify themselves using the required acceptable identifying documents for the State of Texas, sign my notary journal using the same name that is listed on the identification and of course, pay my fee.
Otherwise, I must turn down the request pursuant to State of Texas Statute…not due to whether or not mine and the potential client’s viewpoints align or not.
This should be the position that any notary should take.
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I disagree with @SusanAZ - every person born here or naturalized is a “citizen” of this country - members of this group ARE citizens but feel they are not subject to the laws and regulations of this country. Here’s what I found in a quick search - and as this has taken a distinctly political turn I’ll say no more after this
" Sovereign citizens are anti-government extremists who believe that even though they physically reside in this country, they are separate or “sovereign” from the United States. As a result, they believe they don’t have to answer to any government authority, including courts, taxing entities, motor vehicle departments, or law enforcement."
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@matt @SusanAZ @LindaH-FL @Tisino @cNsa5 @jennjoneis
I don’t believe that opinions and ideas of other should be suppressed because we may not agree with them.
Nor do I believe that it is the notary’s role to determine whether or not a document is illegitimate.
In my opinion, that would be dangerously close to practicing law without a license.
We must be sure that we understand our roles as notarys public.
We must always stay abreast of our state’s statutes as it pertains the notaries.
Are we really responsible for the content of a client’s document?
Are we only required to confirm the the identity of the signer?
Do we know the difference between a jurat and an acknowledgement?
Everything that we do as notaries are governed by the state and/or states where we are commissioned.
There are also Notary Best Practices that we should abide by, no matter which state we are commissioned.
People who have these views have been around for a long time and people in this movement are not a monolith.
It has been my experience that people within this movement have differing ideas.
However, we are required to be neutral parties, and not to be lead by our own beliefs and/or opinions.
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I have no stake in other people’s personal decisions. I simply want to know what identifying document would you use to record their identity in your journal (assuming they don’t have a driver’s license or other government documents). And, how would you reference their satisfaction of identity in the notary statement on an acknowledgement or jurat form?
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You would deal with them the same way that you would treat any potential client.
If you don’t have personal knowledge of the individual, can’t identify the individual by a credible witness, or if the individual can’t provide proper identification, then you can’t notarize their document.
Done deal.
Right!
It’s not personal, and most of us know the role of a notary!
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@Tisino Perhaps I mistook a rhetorical for an actual question.
I was responding to the journal entry question.
No worries. Have a good one.
Roxie,
You’re spot. Fortunately the Sovereign Citizens often lack a valid State issued ID, have an ID issued from a “Government” that’s self serving [Texas Republic], or fake document.
Fellow Texan and Retired Texas LEO
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@RiverpointeTax Thank you.
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That’s"notaries public."
Reminder:
Please keep the discussion focused on Notarial acts. Our goal here is to help each with questions about documentation, and keep the talk about politics for other websites.
TO CLARIFY: This reminder is intended to make sure the conversation remains focused on the procedure for a specific notarial act. It does not apply to posts that are centered on that process. Theoretical assumptions about why those documents are needed, or how they are viewed in the media, are subject to moderation.
Thank you,
NC_Mike
Notary Cafe Support
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@Notary_veg if all you have to offer this forum is criticism of other’s postings (grammar police), then please stop. Things happen…ignore it.
BTW - there’s a space between “that’s” and “notaries”
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Thank you.
Sorry, but it drives me crazy when a notary doesn’t use the proper term for their own profession.
Politics? It has to do with the plural form of notary.