Frequently Asked Questions

Call or text (929) 570-6294 with the address, the document type, how many people are signing and your deadline. You get a yes or no, the arrival time and the full price before you confirm. Have every signer’s photo ID and the complete unsigned document ready.

A mobile notary comes to you, checks each signer’s identity, watches the signing or takes the oath, and completes the notarial certificate. The rules are the same as at a walk-in office. A notary cannot give legal advice, draft your document or decide which form you need.

Yes. A New York notary’s commission covers the whole state (Executive Law §135), so Mehr Shahab can meet you at home, at work, in a hotel, in a hospital room or at a care facility in New York City. Call or text with the address, and visits at facilities follow each facility’s visitor rules.

New York sets the notary fee at $2 per signer for each acknowledgment or oath (Executive Law §136). The travel fee is separate, is not set by the state, and is quoted before the visit, so you approve the total first. Two people acknowledging one document pay $4 in notary fees.

Each signer needs a valid, current government photo ID with a signature, such as a driver license, non-driver ID or passport (19 NYCRR 182.5). The notary must see the card itself, front and back. A photocopy or a picture on your phone is not the card. Check the expiry date a week ahead.

New York also accepts two current signed documents, a notary who personally knows you, or identifying witnesses under oath (19 NYCRR 182.5). One witness works only if both you and the notary know that person. Tell us which route you have when you call so the notary can decide before traveling.

Wait until the notary is with you and says when to sign. For an acknowledgment, you confirm the signature is yours and need not sign in front of the notary. For an affidavit, you swear in front of the notary, so do not sign early. If you are unsure, leave it unsigned.

Documents that need an acknowledgment or an oath, such as powers of attorney, affidavits, real estate and loan documents, consent letters, business agreements and translator affidavits. The notary witnesses the signature and completes the certificate. The notary cannot draft the document or confirm that its contents are legally correct.

A notary cannot give legal advice, draft or fill in your document, choose which form you need, notarize a signature when the signer is not present, or give immigration advice. Those questions go to a New York attorney or the office that asked for the document. See our page on the legal limits of notary services.

Yes. New York requires the principal’s signature to be acknowledged before a notary, with two witnesses signing as well (General Obligations Law §5-1501B). The notary may be one of the two witnesses. A health care proxy is different: it needs two adult witnesses and no notary.

Any two adults who are not named in the document as agents or gift recipients. The notary may be one of the two. Each witness shows photo ID and signs. If a family member is the agent, ask another adult, such as a friend or neighbor, to witness.

No. A health care proxy needs two adult witnesses and no notary under Public Health Law §2981. The agent and the alternate agent cannot be witnesses. Ask the hospital or your attorney for the proxy form. A power of attorney for money and property is a separate document that does need a notary.

No. New York has no law governing living wills, so they do not legally need to be notarized. The New York Attorney General’s advance directives guide suggests two witnesses and, if possible, a notary, because a notarized living will is more likely to be accepted in other states.

A New York will does not need to be notarized to be valid. It must be signed at the end and witnessed by two witnesses (EPTL §3-2.1). A self-proving affidavit, which the witnesses sign before a notary, can make probate easier. Ask your estate attorney whether to add one.

Yes, within each hospital’s visitor rules. The patient must be awake, understand the document and sign willingly, or the notary can refuse (19 NYCRR 182.3). Call or text with the hospital, unit and room number. No New York law requires hospitals to keep a notary, and Senate bill S9897 had not passed the Assembly as of November 2026.

Yes, within each facility’s visitor and sign-in rules. The resident must understand the document and sign willingly. A notary cannot judge medical capacity, so ask the resident’s doctor or attorney if there is doubt. Call or text with the facility name, the unit or room and the document.

Sometimes. It depends on the schedule and your location. Call or text (929) 570-6294 and you get a yes or no, the arrival time and the full price before you confirm. The more complete your paperwork and the earlier you call, the more options you have.

Availability depends on the day. We do not list set evening, weekend or overnight hours. Call or text (929) 570-6294 and you get a yes or no for the time you need, with the arrival time and the full price before you confirm. Any extra charge is quoted in advance.

Yes. Under 19 NYCRR 182.3, a New York notary must refuse when the ID or personal appearance rules are not met. They may also refuse if they doubt the signer is competent or signing freely, which can come up at a hospital bedside or in a care home.

It depends on the airline, the destination country and the other parent, so check their rules first. New York does not set one rule for every trip. If a letter asks for a notarized signature, a notary can witness it. The parent must appear in person with photo ID.

An apostille is a certificate that makes a New York public document usable in another Hague Convention country. The New York Department of State issues it. A notary does not issue an apostille, but a notarization is the first step for most private documents. This service covers the notarization.

For a notarized document, the County Clerk of the county where the notary is qualified authenticates the notary first, then the Department of State issues the apostille. The County Clerk does not forward documents to the state. Check current fees and turnaround with both offices before you plan around a date.

Yes, in some cases. Since February 1, 2023, New York notaries who register with the Department of State can notarize over live audio and video (Executive Law §135-c). The fee is up to $25 per electronic act. Check that the office receiving your document accepts electronic notarization before you choose it.

In an acknowledgment, you confirm that the signature on the document is yours. In an oath, also called a jurat, you swear or affirm that the statements in the document are true, and you do it in front of the notary. Both cost $2 per signer under Executive Law §136.

Yes. Under 19 NYCRR 182.9, the notary’s record of each act includes the signer’s name and address and the type of ID used, and it is kept for at least 10 years. Ask the notary what the record contains before the visit if you need a copy for your own files.

The New York Department of State Division of Licensing Services keeps the records of commissioned notaries, and its online notary public search lets you look up a name. Mehr Shahab is a commissioned New York notary public. Ask to see the notary’s commission details before you sign if you want to verify.