Almost every notary appointment that runs long runs long for the same handful of reasons — and every one of them can be sorted out the night before, in about ten minutes, at your kitchen table.
I drive to people all over the Treasure Valley, so I'd much rather you spend ten minutes preparing than have me arrive and find we can't finish. Here's exactly what to do.
Fill the document out — but don't sign it
This is the one that surprises people most. Complete every blank on the form: names, dates, addresses, dollar amounts, property descriptions. Then stop at the signature line and leave it empty.
A notary's job is to witness your signature as it happens. If the document arrives already signed, I can't notarize that signature — and depending on the form, we may have to print a fresh copy and start over. Same goes for initials on a page-by-page document.
If a blank genuinely doesn't apply to you, ask the company that gave you the form what they want in it. An empty space in the middle of a document can be a problem later; a notary can't fill it in for you.
Check the name on your ID against the name on the form
Your identification has to reasonably match the name printed on the document. A middle initial that's on one and not the other is usually fine. A maiden name on the ID and a married name on the document is not — that's the mismatch I see most often, and it's the one that stops an appointment cold.
Acceptable ID is current, government-issued, and has your photo and signature: a driver's license, a state ID card, a U.S. passport, or a military ID. Expired doesn't work, even by a week.
Find out whether you need witnesses
Read the signature page. If it has lines for witnesses in addition to the notary block, you need to bring people — and each of them needs their own valid photo ID. Witnesses generally can't be named in the document or stand to benefit from it, so a neighbor or coworker is usually a safer choice than the person you're signing over to.
Line them up ahead of time. Trying to find a witness at 8 p.m. while I'm standing in your living room is the least fun part of my job.
One important note: I can notarize your signature and make sure the signing is done correctly, but I can't tell you which document you need, draft or complete one for you, or explain what its terms mean. Those are legal questions for an attorney. If you're unsure the form itself is right, get that answered before we meet.
Your pre-signing checklist
Set these out together the night before:
- The complete document, all pages, filled in but unsigned
- A current, government-issued photo ID for every person signing
- Any witnesses the form requires, each with their own ID
- Written instructions from the bank, title company, school, or agency that asked for the notarization
- Confirmation that everyone who signs will be present — no signing on someone else's behalf without the proper authority
- A flat surface and decent light, and pets settled somewhere else if they're the excitable kind
If you're not certain your document type is one I handle, you can look through the full list of services before you book.
How do I know if my document is notary-ready?
Quick test: turn to the last page. If there's a block that says “Notary Public,” “State of ___, County of ___,” or “subscribed and sworn to before me,” you're in the right place. If there's no notary block at all but the receiving party insists on notarization, call them before the appointment — they may have a specific form or wording they need, and that's much easier to fix in advance than in the moment.
And if you've never done this before, my walk-through of what actually happens at a notary appointment covers the rest, step by step.
Then the easy part
Ten minutes of prep usually turns the appointment itself into fifteen. I come to homes, offices, hospitals, and care facilities across Boise, Meridian, Nampa, and Eagle, with evening and weekend hours, and you can book a time online in about a minute. If you'd like a sense of how it goes for other families first, you can read what my clients have said.