Notary duties and responsibilities
Commission and authority
Oklahoma notaries are commissioned by the Secretary of State for a four-year term, must file a surety bond (currently $1,000), and take the oath of office. The commission is personal: you may not delegate notarial acts, and authority ends on the expiration date, resignation, revocation, or death. Keep your commission number and expiration date available because certificates and your seal must identify your authority.
Core duties
A notary administers oaths and affirmations, takes acknowledgments and verifications, and certifies that a signer appeared before them. The nonnegotiable rule is personal appearance: the signer must be physically before you unless a specifically authorized remote procedure applies. Identify the signer by personal knowledge or satisfactory government-issued photo ID. Screen for willingness and capacity; refuse if the signer is coerced, confused, or unable to communicate. Never give legal advice about the document's effect.
Worked example
A man brings a signed "proof of life" letter and asks you to notarize it while his mother waits in the car. You should refuse. The letter requires the mother's oath or acknowledgment, and she has not appeared. A notary certifies the act-appearance, identity, oath-not the truth of a stranger's statement.
Traps
- Notarizing for an absent signer.
- Treating a notary stamp as proof of document legality.
- Using an expired commission or omitting the commission number.
- Explaining legal rights or drafting document language.