So, going about the normal course of duty and my neighbor says, “Hey miss, I have a document here that I need to get notarized.” The document was a copy of an original Bill of Sale with an attached copy of the Certificate of Origin of a Vehicle. It was explained to the neighbor that, although I could not notarize the actual copies, what he COULD do is write out an affiant statement (or affidavit) by hand on the National Notary Association Jurat/Affiant Statement I had in my possession, I could verify his identification (in this case by Personal Knowledge*) and then, in fact, notarize ‘this’ form.
It might sound like complicated stuff, however, whether a document is an original or photocopy and it has been previously signed or is void of notarial language, we as South Carolina notaries public CANNOT just “notarize it”. There is a certain protocol as we are public officers of the state. The situations we deal with on a daily basis can be tricky. In this instance, the neighbor purchased a vehicle from a dealer and needed to present the copies to an agency, however, the agency needed verification that he was who he said he was.
This notarization was completed by Notary Public Signing Agent Sonita M. Leak in late morning, Thursday, August 13, 2015.
Click for the Definition of Personal Knowledge