Guardianship for Adults: What Gets Notarized and When

Guardianship for an adult — whether due to disability, injury, or a progressive condition — is a court process at its core, and most of the primary petitions are filed directly with the court rather than notarized separately. But several supporting documents in a typical guardianship case do need notarization, and knowing which is which saves a family time during an already difficult process.

Documents that commonly need notarization

• Consent and nomination affidavits, when family members are formally agreeing to a proposed guardian or nominating someone for the role
• Financial affidavits submitted as part of establishing the need for guardianship or documenting the proposed ward’s assets
• Acceptance of appointment documents, once a guardian is approved by the court, in some jurisdictions
• Bond documents, if the court requires the guardian to post a bond as a condition of appointment

What’s typically handled through the court instead

The initial petition for guardianship, most standard court forms, and ongoing accountings filed with the court are usually handled through the court’s own filing process rather than separate notarization — though local county rules vary, so it’s worth confirming with your attorney or the specific court exactly which forms in your case require a notary.

A note on the person the guardianship concerns

If the proposed ward is present for any notarized document in the process, the same capacity considerations I’ve written about elsewhere apply — my role in that moment is still limited to confirming identity and willingness for whatever specific document is in front of me, not evaluating the broader guardianship question the court is deciding.

Guardianship cases move through the court on their own timeline. The notarized pieces along the way are usually smaller, faster steps — it helps to know which parts of the process those actually are.

Coordinating with your attorney

Because guardianship procedure varies by county and case type, the most reliable way to know exactly what needs notarizing in your case is to ask the attorney handling the filing — and then bring that specific list to your appointment.