Occasionally people need to sign important documents. The services of a notary public ensure that all parties have legitimately signed those documents and have done so voluntarily. Notarization and the services of a notary public can cost anywhere from a few dollars to over $100, depending on the type of document and the location of the process.
Some notaries travel to customers. Others have their own office. Not surprisingly, mobile notaries usually charge more to cover their time and travel expenses.
In many states, the maximum price a notary can charge is mandated by the state. However, even in those states, mobile notaries will sometimes cost more than that maximum price. For example, in Florida, notaries cannot charge more than $10 per notary. However, they can charge additional fees based on a variety of other factors, such as mileage and gasoline, peak traffic hours, after-hours work, emergency jobs and so on.
The distance a mobile notary must travel can significantly increase the price. For example, @ Your Door charges the following travel fees on top of the $10 state-mandated notary cost:
Five miles or less: $30
Five to 10 miles: $35
10 to 20 miles: $40
20 to 30 miles: $45
30 to 40 miles: $60
of Henrico, Virginia, charges $5 per notarial act, with an additional travel fee of $35 for Richmond City, Chesterfield County and Henrico County. Further fees based on mileage are charge for farther outlying areas.
Some notary services take travel completely out of the equation by offering online services.
Notarization of real-estate documents, such as those for purchase loans, refinancing and reverse mortgages, are exceptions to the state maximum charge rule because the notary has to spend much more time to print and prepare the documents. For example, Tech of Philadelphia charges $20 to print loan documents and $125 for reverse mortgages.
To save money, arrange to travel to the notary instead of having the notary come to you.