Notary Appointment Etiquette: What Not to Bring (or Do)

I’ve written a straightforward checklist of what to bring to a notary appointment. This one’s the flip side — the smaller habits and choices, often well-intentioned, that can unexpectedly slow an appointment down or complicate a notarization that should otherwise be quick.

Don’t sign the document before I get there

This is the single most common issue I run into. Many documents require the signer to sign in the notary’s physical presence — if it’s already signed when I arrive, I generally can’t notarize it as-is, and we either need a fresh, unsigned copy or the signer needs to re-execute it in front of me, depending on the document. I’ve covered this specific mistake in more depth elsewhere, because it’s worth its own explanation.

A few other things worth knowing

• Don’t leave blank spaces in the document expecting me to fill them in — I’m verifying the signature, not completing the document’s content on your behalf
• Don’t ask me to backdate anything — the notarization date has to reflect the actual date of signing, no exceptions, regardless of how minor the request seems
• Don’t ask me to notarize a photocopy of a signature — I need to witness the actual signing, not certify a copy of one that already happened elsewhere
• Don’t assume every family member in the room needs to sign or be present — only the actual signer needs to be there for their own portion of the document, which can simplify scheduling for families juggling several people’s availability

What’s completely fine

Asking questions, taking your time to read the document before signing, bringing a family member for support, and rescheduling if something about the appointment doesn’t feel right — none of that is an inconvenience. A notary’s whole job is making sure you’re signing knowingly and willingly, and taking the time to be sure is exactly what that looks like.

The appointments that go fastest aren’t rushed — they’re just correctly prepared. A five-minute conversation beforehand usually prevents any of this from becoming an issue.