08/23/2026
3 Things About Being a Notary Public: What It Is + What It’s NOT
1. You ARE a public official.
Your job is to verify identity, follow your state’s notary laws, complete the proper notarial act, and help protect against fraud.
You are NOT an attorney.
Unless you are also a licensed attorney, you cannot give legal advice, choose documents for someone, or tell a signer what they should or shouldn’t sign.
2. You ARE responsible for knowing your state’s notary laws.
Your commission comes with rules, responsibilities, and boundaries.
You are NOT responsible for the document itself.
You’re notarizing the signature and performing the requested notarial act. You’re not approving the document, guaranteeing its contents, or making it “legal.”
3. You ARE a notary public.
That’s your commission.
You are NOT automatically a notary business owner.
Getting commissioned gives you permission to perform notarial acts. Building a business requires learning services, pricing, marketing, systems, customer service, and how to actually find paying clients.
A commission makes you a notary. A strategy turns it into a business.
Which one do you think new notaries misunderstand the most: 1, 2, or 3?