Lenore Solis, Notary Public
Lenore Solis has been a Notary Public in California since September 1987
3315 Glendale Blvd., POB 39534, L.A., CA 90039
Office: 1323.669.0892 or 1818.396.6840 Email: LenoreSolis@gmail.com
Mon - Thurs 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., till 4:00 p.m. on Friday
Early Morning, Evenings & Weekends by Appointment
MAXIMUM NOTARY FEES FOR CALIFORNIA - The fee is set by the California Secretary of State, not the individual Notary. Per California Government Code § 8206,8211 & 8223 Effective January 01, 1994 the fee per signature is as follows:
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Acknowledgment: $10.00 per signature/document
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Jurat: $10.00 per person for oath & certificate
Note: The majority of the information contained herein is from the 2010 Notary Handbook and the California Secretary of State website.
Function:
The primary function of California notaries public is to administer oaths and verify signatures. Notaries can also verify the signature of one person on behalf of another (called a subscribing witness). Notaries can also certify copies, including copies of a power of attorney document. Notaries can issue confidential marriage licenses if they have applied for such authorization from the county clerk of the county having jurisdiction over the marriage license, and have completed the mandatory course of instruction. California notaries can only perform marriage ceremonies if they are also a priest, minister, rabbi or other person authorized to do so under Family Code sections 400 to 402.
IDENTIFICATION - What you need to bring to identify yourself to the Notary Public:
When completing a certificate of acknowledgment or a jurat, a notary public is required
to certify to the identity of the signer of the document. (Civil Code sections 1185(a), 1189,
Government Code section 8202) Identity is established if the notary public is presented with
satisfactory evidence of the signer’s identity. (Civil Code section 1185(a))
Satisfactory Evidence – “Satisfactory Evidence” means the absence of any information,
evidence, or other circumstances which would lead a reasonable person to believe that the
individual is not the individual he or she claims to be and (A) paper identification documents
or (B) the oath of a single credible witness or (C) the oaths of two credible witnesses under
penalty of perjury, as specified below:
A. Paper Identification Documents – Identity of the signer can be established by the notary
public’s reasonable reliance on the presentation of any one of the following documents, if the
identification document is current or has been issued within five years (Civil Code section
1185(b)(3) & (4)):
1. An identification card or driver’s license issued by the California Department of Motor
Vehicles;
2. A United States passport;
3. Other California-approved identification card, consisting of any one of the following,
provided that it also contains a photograph, description of the person, signature of the person,
and an identifying number:
(a) A passport issued by a foreign government, provided that it has been stamped by the U.S.
Immigration and Naturalization Service or the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services;
(b) A driver’s license issued by another state or by a Canadian or Mexican public agency
authorized to issue driver’s licenses;
(c) An identification card issued by another state;
(d) A United States military identification card with the required photograph, description of
the person, signature of the person, and an identifying number. (Some military identification
cards do not contain all the required information.);
(e) An inmate identification card issued by the California Department of Corrections and
Rehabilitation, if the inmate is in custody; or
(f) An employee identification card issued by an agency or office of the State of California,
or an agency or office of a city, county, or city and county in California.
Note: The notary public must include in his or her journal the type of identifying document, the
governmental agency issuing the document, the serial or identifying number of the document,
and the date of issue or expiration of the document that was used to establish the identity of
the signer. (Government Code section 8206(a)(2)(D))
Geographic Jurisdiction:
A notary public can provide notarial services throughout the State of California. A notary public is not limited to providing services only in the county where the oath and bond are on file. In virtually all of the certificates the notary public is called on to complete, there will be a venue heading such as “State of California, County of ___________.” The county named in the heading in the notarial certificate is the county where the signer personally appeared before the notary public. (Government Code section 8200)
THE PURPOSE OF THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT IS:
The Notary asks the signer, “Do you acknowledge that this is your signature and that you understand and signed this document.? You know what you are signing.”
To notarize the document, the signer must:
1. Signer must personally appear.
2. Signer must prove their identity with a government issued picture id.
3. Signer must acknowledge executing the document.
THE PURPOSE OF THE AFFIDAVIT OR JURAT IS:
The Notary asks the signer, “Do you solemnly swear, declare or affirm, that the contents of this document are known to you, and that the information is true, so help you God, or whatever you believe in, or under the penalty of perjury?”
To notarize the document, the signer must:
1. Signer must personally appear
2. Signer must prove their identity with a government issued picture id.
3. Signer must sign the document in front of the Notary.
4. The oath must be administered and the Signer must acknowledge hearing the oath.
Acknowledgment:
The form most frequently completed by the notary public is the certificate of acknowledgment. The certificate of acknowledgment must be in the form set forth in Civil Code section 1189. In the certificate of acknowledgment, the notary public certifies: • That the signer personally appeared before the notary public on the date indicated in the county indicated; • To the identity of the signer; and • That the signer acknowledged executing the document.
A notary public may complete a certificate of acknowledgment required in another state or jurisdiction of the United States on documents to be filed in that other state or jurisdiction, provided the form does not require the notary public to determine or certify that the signer holds a particular representative capacity or to make other determinations and certifications not allowed by California law. Any certificate of acknowledgment taken within this state shall be in the following form:
State of California }
County of ____________ }
On _______________________________ before me, L. Solis, a Notary Public, personally appeared ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________,
who proved to me on the basis of satisfactory evidence to be the person(s) whose name(s) is/are subscribed to the within instrument and acknowledged to me that he/she/they executed the same in his/her/their authorized capacity(ies), and that by his/her/their signature(s) on the instrument the person(s), or the entity upon behalf of which the person(s) acted, executed the instrument.
I certify under PENALTY OF PERJURY under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing paragraph is true and correct.
WITNESS my hand and official seal.
___________________________________
Notary Public Signature
Note:
Key wording of an acknowledgment is “personally appeared.” An acknowledgment cannot be affixed to a document mailed or otherwise delivered to a notary public whereby the signer did not personally appear before the notary public, even if the signer is known by the notary public. Also, a notary public seal and signature cannot be affixed to a document without the correct notarial wording.
Jurat:
The second form most frequently completed by a notary public is the jurat. (Government Code section 8202) The jurat is identified by the wording “Subscribed and sworn to (or affirmed)” contained in the form. In the jurat, the notary public certifies: • That the signer personally appeared before the notary public on the date indicated and in the county indicated; • That the signer signed the document in the presence of the notary public; • That the notary public administered the oath or affirmation*; and • To the identity of the signer. Any jurat taken within this state shall be in the following form:
State of California }
County of ________________ }
Subscribed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on this _______ day of ____________, 20______, by _______________________________________________, proved to me on the basis of satisfactory evidence to be the person(s) who appeared before me.
_______________________
Notary Public Signature
Note:
Key wording of a jurat is “subscribed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me.” A jurat cannot be affixed to a document mailed or otherwise delivered to a notary public whereby the signer did not personally appear, take an oath, and sign in the presence of the notary public, even if the signer is known by the notary public. Also, a notary public seal and signature cannot be affixed to a document without the correct notarial wording. *There is no prescribed wording for the oath, but an acceptable oath would be “Do you swear or affirm that the statements in this document are true?” When administering the oath, the signer and notary public traditionally each raise their right hand but this is not a legal requirement.
Notarization of Incomplete Documents : A notary public may not notarize a document that is incomplete. If presented with a document for notarization, which the notary public knows from his or her experience to be incomplete or is without doubt on its face incomplete, the notary public must refuse to notarize the document. (Government Code section 8205)
Foreign Language: A notary public can notarize a signature on a document in a foreign language with which the notary public is not familiar, since a notary public’s function only relates to the signature and not the contents of the document. The notary public should be able to identify the type of document being notarized for entry in the notary public’s journal. If unable to identify the type of document, the notary public must make an entry to that effect in the journal (e.g., “a document in a foreign language”). The notary public should be mindful of the completeness of the document and must not notarize the signature on the document if the document appears to be incomplete. The notary public is responsible for completing the acknowledgment or jurat form. When notarizing a signature on a document, a notary public must be able to communicate with the customer in order for the signer either to swear to or affirm the contents of the affidavit or to acknowledge the execution of the document. An interpreter should not be used, as vital
information could be lost in the translation. If a notary public is unable to communicate with a customer, the customer should be referred to a notary public who speaks the customer’s language.
Important Information for "Legalizing Documents"
In 1961 many nations joined together to create a simplified method of "legalizing" documents for universal recognition in each other's countries. Members of the conference, referred to as the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalization of Foreign Public Documents (33 U.S.T 883), adopted a document referred to as an Apostille that would be recognized by all member nations.
Documents sent to member nations, completed with an Apostille at the state level, may be submitted directly to the member nation without further action.
Documents sent to non-member nations requiring a Certification of the signature of the state's public official at the state level, will need to be transmitted to the Office of Authentications of the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. for the authentication of the State Official's signature if requested by the receiving country.
Authentications: Apostille or Certification
The California Secretary of State provides authentication of public official signatures on documents to be used outside the United States of America. The country of destination determines whether the authentication is an Apostille or Certification.
Apostilles and certifications only certify to the authenticity of the signature of the official who signed the document, the capacity in which that official acted, and when appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which the document bears. The apostille or certification does not validate the contents of the document.
- The California Secretary of State only authenticates signatures on documents issued in the State of California signed by a notary public or the following public officials and their deputies:
- County Clerks or Recorders
- Court Administrators of the Superior Court
- Executive Clerks of the Superior Court
- Officers whose authority is not limited to any particular county
- Executive Officers of the Superior Court
- Judges of the Superior Court
- State Officials
- Some examples of documents submitted for signature authentication are:
- Birth Certificates
- Bylaws
- Certificates of Non-Marital Status
- Corporate documents such as articles, mergers, amendments, etc.
- Deeds of Assignment
- Distributorship Agreements
- Marriage Licenses
- Papers for adoption purposes
- Powers of Attorney
- School records such as diplomas, transcripts, letters relating to degrees, etc.
- References and Job Certification
- Trademarks
- Documents submitted to the Secretary of State for signature authentication must have a current certification date by the appropriate public official or their deputy or must be notarized by a California Notary Public.
Customers requiring authentication of any school records (e.g., transcript or diploma) must obtain a notarized copy of the record from the high school, university, etc., before submitting the documents for authentication.
Any document executed by County Health Officers and County Local Registrars can be authenticatedonly if the document is first certified by the county clerk/recorder.
Note: The Secretary of State's regional office, located in Los Angeles, only authenticates public official signatures. Notary public signatures must be certified by the county clerk/recorder (on the notary public stamp) before submitting the document to the regional office for authentication. The regional office only processes documents dropped off in person.
- To avoid delays that may result from out-of-date documents, a document certified by a county official (e.g. county clerk) should have a certification date within the last five years or a new certified copy should be obtained from the appropriate county official.
- The customer must identify the country of destination when the documents are submitted to the Secretary of State. If documents are submitted by mail to the Sacramento office, a letter identifying the country of destination must accompany the documents. To facilitate the processing of documents submitted by mail, please include a self-addressed envelope.
- Documents can be dropped off in person to the Sacramento office or to the Los Angeles regional office for processing between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday (excluding holidays) or can be mailed to the Sacramento office. Note: The Los Angeles regional office only processes documents dropped off in person. Please refer to Contact Information for office locations and mailing address.
- When dropping off documents in person to any of our offices for processing, no appointment is necessary. Customers are served on a "first come first serve" basis.
- There is a $20.00 processing fee (per signature authenticated) and a $6.00 special handling fee (per public official for documents submitted over the counter). Payments for documents submitted:
- by mail to Sacramento can be made by check or money order;
- dropped off in person in Sacramento can be made by check, money order, cash, or credit card (Visa or MasterCard); or
- dropped off in person in Los Angeles can be made by check, money order, or credit card (Visa or MasterCard). The Los Angeles regional office is not able to accept cash.
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DISCLAIMER: The information contained herein is deemed accurate however, you should always consult a professional or the Secretary of State website to insure the information is current and applicable to your tax situation.
Call to schedule an appointment or ask a question.
3315 Glendale Boulevard
POB 39534, Los Angeles, CA 90039
(323) 669-0892
(818) 396-6840
LenoreSolis@gmail.com
