Have you ever asked yourself if just having a notary stamp your document make it more legal then if you just signed it?
Notarization
What is notarization? Notarization is an official process by which parties involved in a transaction ensure a document is authentic and legitimate.
Americans collectively notarize 1.25 billion documents each year and each transaction is a milestone moment for someone.
Why the need to Notarize a document?
It is essential that everyone trusts the authenticity of legal documents. When purchasing a house or establishing power of attorney, clarity and certainty are immediate requirements.
Role of Notary Public
A notary public is a public official appointed by a state government to help deter fraud. Notary publics witness the signing of important documents and verify the identity of the signer(s), their willingness to sign the documents and their awareness of the contents of the document or transaction being signed.
Is Notarization enough to make a document Legal?
This question is one of the most fascinating aspects of the legal system and there are many arguments on either side of the debate that deserve their own rightful place to derive a possible conclusion.
In Favor
Some might argue that a completely notarized document holds some form of legal merit. It is important to note that when people or corporations enter into an agreement, for the purchase or sale of asset or services, contracts are signed. These contracts include stipulations and various details about the contract. There are some cases that parties involved in an agreement end up with legal disputes because of one particular element of the deal is missing, which is notarization.
Furthermore, Notarized articles can be rendered admissible in a court of law, which means that they can be treated as tangible evidence. Notarization is in fact done in order to prevent fraudulent transactions, especially on legal front.
Therefore, basis these arguments it can be said that a notarized document does hold some legal semblance depending on the scope of the case in point.
Against
A court of law, as mentioned in the previous side of the argument, can accept a notarized document as a legal proof. However, it does not necessarily mean it is legal. For it to be legal, its contents must comply with the law which is not the case.
Now one might ask, why use it if it is not a legal document in itself? This due to the nature of a notarized document, which is to verify authenticity of a person’s identity and signatures. A process that includes providing necessary IDs of the signatories.
The Conclusion
Therefore, after considering post sides of the argument, we can conclude that notarized document is not a substitute of sales agreement; however, it plays an essential role to provide further authenticity to any agreement.
Additionally, notarized documents can be considered as legal evidence in cases of dispute but is not a legal document by the definition of it.