This is the most important page on this site. Read it before you book.
A notary verifies identity and witnesses a signature
That is the whole job. A notary public confirms who is signing, confirms the signing is willing, watches it happen, and records the act in a journal. Nothing more.
A notary public is not a lawyer and cannot give legal advice
A notary cannot explain what a document means, cannot tell you whether to sign it, cannot choose which notarial certificate applies to your situation, and cannot prepare or draft documents for you. If you need any of those things, you need a lawyer, not a notary - and in some countries "notario publico" means exactly that, an attorney. Here it does not. Saying this plainly, before you book, is the whole point of this page.
What a valid notarization requires
The signer must be present in person, must show valid, unexpired government photo identification, must be signing willingly, and must appear to understand what they are signing. The notary declines the act if any of those is missing. Blank spaces on the document must be filled in before it is notarized, never after.
The journal and the seal
Every notarial act is entered in a bound journal - date, document type, signer, identification shown - and sealed the same visit. That record is what makes the notarization auditable later, by a court, a lender or the signer themselves.
