How to Notarize an Affidavit

Almost everyone will have to sign an affidavit at some time in the process of dealing with everyday legal and commercial matters. That’s why it’s crucial that you know what affidavits are and how to get affidavit notarized. Affidavits, or sworn statements of fact, are often employed in many different types of judicial procedures.

Affidavits and their relevance in law

Like when testifying in court, an affidavit requires the signer to vow to state the truth under oath. The statement maker (called an affiant) and the official who is authorized to administer oaths (such as a notary public or particular state authorities) must both sign the document. If an affiant signs an affidavit knowing that it includes false information, he or she may face criminal charges. If you want to be sure the paper you’re about to sign is legit, you need to give it a thorough read before putting your name on it.

Any assertions in the affidavit that represent the affiant’s opinion or belief must explicitly express that they are the affiant’s opinion or belief. Notarizing affidavits is the standard anti-fraud method that ensures all parties to a transaction are dealing with a genuine and trustworthy document. It is a lengthy procedure that requires certification, documentation, and screening. Notarizing an affidavit is the official declaration by a neutral and lawfully appointed notary public that a document is legitimate, that the signatures on it are authentic, and that the signer did so voluntarily and without any threat or force, intending for the provisions of the document to be binding and enforceable.

Types and common use of affidavits

People often seek how to get an affidavit notarized because affidavits have a wide variety of possible applications. They are required for a wide variety of official documents, including applications for driver’s licenses, car registrations, voter lists, and concealed gun permits. These are some of the most prevalent types of affidavits:

• Affidavits in court. Even though witnesses often testify in person during a court trial, affidavits are sometimes used in legal proceedings to support written motions or in place of unavailable witnesses.
• The affidavit of a self-proving will. At this point, the will-signature maker’s is notarized.
• Jurat affidavit (power of attorney). In a power of attorney (POA), the principal grants the agent legal authority to do certain actions on the principal’s behalf in specific situations. Nonetheless, the attorney-in-fact loses their power upon the principal’s death or with the revocation of the powers of attorney. Before a third party may act in reliance on a power of attorney, the agent may need to sign an affidavit indicating that the POA is still in existence and that the owner has not revoked it.
• Finances affidavit. This affidavit is used to verify the affiant’s financial status and other details. In a divorce proceeding, it is normal practice for both parties to provide financial affidavits to verify their respective possessions, liabilities, income, and spending. Estate planning and other financial operations, such as loan applications, often include the use of financial affidavits.

Affidavits serve several purposes and might be required in a wide variety of scenarios. Affidavits are often used to verify information, such as the ownership of a piece of property being sold or the marital status of the parties involved in order to establish their right to certain benefits. Such blanket affidavits need to be revised to fit the specifics of the case.

Where to get an affidavit notarized?

Speaking about how to notarize affidavit, it is necessary to say that affidavits may not always need to be witnessed by a notary public. Some affidavits need to be notarized, whereas others don’t. It is subject to the laws of the respective state and nation. Some states need the notarization of “wills” before they are considered legal. However, regulations change over time, so stay current. That said, you need to check the laws in your area to see how things work. For this reason, many affidavits and other papers are not required to be notarized, depending on the jurisdiction. Attached to the will, a self-proving affidavit may also be notarized.

So, how to get an affidavit notarized? More states are allowing notaries and signers to e-notarize online due to technology’s automation and simplification of the notarization process. OneNotary is a trustworthy online notarial service, and you should consider using it if you think about how to notarize affidavit. You may save traveling costs and perhaps wasted time by utilizing a virtual notary. Using this service’s features, notarizing any kind of document is a simple task.