Signature and Personal Appearance Requirements
The signature and appearance requirements are the heart of notarial integrity. The signer must personally appear before the notary at the time of the act. Appearance means physical presence; a notary may not notarize based on a mailed document, a phone call, a video call (outside the separate online-notarization framework), or a signature the notary did not witness. The notary must also positively identify the signer using satisfactory evidence - typically a government-issued photo identification - or, when that is unavailable, a credible witness who personally knows the signer and can vouch for identity.
A subtle but frequently tested point: the notary must actually witness the signature for acts that require it, or take the signer's acknowledgment that the signature is theirs. A notary should not pre-sign or allow a signer to sign outside the notary's presence and then simply stamp the document. The notary's own signature and seal must be applied only after the act is completed.
Traps: stems that describe a signer who "signed last week and mailed it in," a spouse who "knows" the signer but is not a credible witness under the rules, or a notary who accepts an expired ID without checking. Another trap is a notary who signs a blank certificate for later completion - never do this.
Worked example: A signer appears without ID but brings a coworker who personally knows her. The notary may use the coworker as a credible witness if the statutory conditions are met; the notary documents the credible witness and proceeds. Rule of thumb: no appearance, no notarization - and no blank certificates, ever.