Your Guide to Commonly Notarized Documents

Hundreds of millions of documents are notarized every year in the United States, most of which are required by “relying parties” — like mortgage companies, government agencies, and insurance companies. A document is notarized to ensure it’s authentic and it can be trusted. While just about anything with a signature can be notarized, below are the most commonly notarized documents by category.

• Financial

• Estate Planning

• Real Estate

• Healthcare

• Family Law

• Legal

• Authorization/Permission

• Verification

Financial

Mortgage and refinance documents: Solidify your agreement with a lender for borrowing money to purchase or refinance real estate.

Examples include the Deed of Trust, which grants the lender a security interest in your property, and the Promissory Note, outlining the loan terms.

Personal loan documents: Enforces the conditions and terms of the personal loan and protects both parties involved.

Payment agreements: Clarifies a repayment plan between parties for a debt, outlining the amount owed, timeframe, and potential consequences for non-payment.

Estate planning

Powers of attorney: Allows you to designate a trusted person (agent) to manage your financial affairs if you become incapacitated.

Wills: Specifies how you want your assets distributed after your death.

Trust documents: Allows you to manage assets and distribute them according to your wishes, potentially offering tax benefits and bypassing probate.

Real estate

Title transfers: Officially transfers ownership of real estate from the seller to the buyer.

Healthcare

Advance medical directives: Allows you to express your wishes for medical care in case you are unable to communicate them yourself.

Family law

Adoption agreements: Outlines the adoption process and parental rights.

Custody agreements: Outlines the parental rights and responsibilities for childcare.

Parental consent for travel: Grants permission for a minor child to travel with someone other than a legal guardian. These documents may also be referred to as child travel authorization or consent for child passport.

Legal

Affidavits: Verifies the truth of a particular matter via sworn statements.

Contracts: Outlines the rights and obligations of involved parties.

ID theft victim’s complaint and affidavit: Used to report and provide sworn testimony about identity theft.

General letter of consent: Permission granted in writing for a specific action (may also be used for non-legal purposes).

Authorization/permission

Letter of agreement: Functions as an authorization for someone to act on your behalf or a less formal contract outlining terms between parties.

Letter of authorization: Explicitly grants permission to someone to take a specific action on your behalf.

Verification

Proof of residency: Verifies your current address, such as a utility bill or bank statement.

Personal affidavit: Used for verification purposes or legal matters via sworn statements.

If your document is not listed above, check with the receiving agency to confirm whether your document requires a Notary.