To notarize a document in NYC, bring a valid government-issued photo ID and your completed but unsigned document to a licensed New York notary public, sign in the notary’s presence, and pay the fee: $2.00 per signature for standard in-person notarization or up to $25.00 for electronic notarization. Notaries are available at many bank branches, shipping stores, law offices, and County Clerk offices across the five boroughs, and mobile notaries will come to you for an added travel charge.
What to Bring
Every notarization starts with proving you are who you claim to be. Bring a current, government-issued photo ID such as a valid driver’s license, a state-issued non-driver ID card, or a United States passport or passport card.1NYCOURTS.GOV. Notary An expired ID will get you turned away, so check the date before you leave.
Your document needs to be fully filled out before the appointment, with only the signature line left blank. Notaries should refuse to notarize anything with blank spaces in the body of the document, because those gaps create an opportunity for someone to alter the content after the seal is applied. Do not sign in advance. You sign in front of the notary. If the notarial certificate on your document says “subscribed and sworn before me,” the notary will administer an oath or affirmation before you sign.
If your document requires witnesses, bring them along. Witnesses generally need their own valid photo ID so the notary can record their identities.
Where to Find a Notary in NYC
Licensed notaries are easy to find across the city. Many bank branches notarize documents for account holders at no charge, which is usually the cheapest option. UPS stores, FedEx locations, and independent shipping centers throughout the boroughs frequently have a notary on staff during business hours. Law offices, real estate firms, and some pharmacies also offer the service.
County Clerk Offices
The New York County Clerk’s Office in Manhattan notarizes documents for walk-in visitors who present valid government-issued photo ID. There is a limit of five documents per customer, and only documents written in English can be notarized at this location.1NYCOURTS.GOV. Notary Other boroughs have their own County Clerk offices with their own hours and availability.
Commissioners of Deeds
NYC has an additional category of officer you won’t find elsewhere in the state: the Commissioner of Deeds. Commissioners can administer oaths and take acknowledgments or proofs of deeds and other documents anywhere within the five boroughs. Their authority is more limited than a notary public’s. A Commissioner of Deeds cannot notarize a transaction in which they have a financial interest and cannot take an acknowledgment or proof of a will.2City Clerk. Commissioner of Deeds For most routine documents, a Commissioner of Deeds works the same as a notary.
Mobile Notaries
If you can’t travel because of illness, disability, or scheduling, mobile notaries will come to your home, office, or hospital room. The statutory fee for the notarial act itself stays the same, but mobile notaries charge separately for travel, and those travel fees are not capped by state law. Agree on the total cost before the notary heads your way.
What Happens at the Appointment
The process takes just a few minutes when everything is in order.
- The notary examines your photo ID and confirms the name matches the document. Personal knowledge of the signer can satisfy identification in some circumstances, but most notaries rely on government-issued ID.
- For a jurat, the notary asks you to swear or affirm that the contents of the document are true. This verbal exchange is a legal requirement, not a formality.
- You sign the document while the notary watches. This physical observation is the core of the notarial act.
- The notary fills out the certificate section, recording the date, location, and type of act performed.
- The notary signs the certificate. New York law does not require notaries to use a seal or stamp, but many do. If a stamp is used, it should include the notary’s name and the words “Notary Public for the State of New York.”3New York Department of State. Notary Public License Law
One common misconception: the notary is not reading your document for legal accuracy or endorsing its contents. They only verify your identity and witness your signature. A notary cannot give you legal advice, recommend what type of notarization your document needs, help you fill out a document, or explain the legal effect of what you’re signing. If you need that kind of help, talk to an attorney before the appointment.
What It Costs
New York caps what a notary can charge for each type of act. For in-person notarization, the maximum fees under Executive Law § 136 are:
- Acknowledgment or proof of execution: $2.00 per person
- Administering an oath or affirmation: $2.00
- Swearing each witness: $2.00
These fees apply per person or per signature, so a document with three signers could cost up to $6.00 total.4New York State Senate. New York Executive Law 136 – Notarial Fees
Electronic notarization costs more. The maximum fee is $25.00 per electronic notarial act, and that amount must cover all costs the notary incurs to perform the act, including the technology platform.5New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. NY Comp Codes R and Regs Tit 19 182.11 – Fees
Mobile notary travel fees are a separate charge and are not regulated by the state cap. In practice, NYC mobile notaries commonly charge $50 to $150 or more for a visit depending on the borough and time of day. Get the total in writing before the appointment. The notarial fee itself cannot exceed the statutory limit, and overcharging can lead to suspension of the notary’s commission.
When a Notary Must Refuse
Knowing what will get you turned away can save a wasted trip. A notary is legally required to decline in several situations:
- You did not appear in person. A friend or relative cannot bring your pre-signed document to a notary on your behalf.
- You cannot produce acceptable identification.
- The document has blank spaces in its body.
- The notary believes you are being pressured or forced to sign. Confirming you are signing willingly is the whole point of the notary’s role.
- The notary stands to gain from the transaction. This applies to Commissioners of Deeds as well.2City Clerk. Commissioner of Deeds
- You appear intoxicated or otherwise unable to understand what you’re signing.
Electronic Notarization
New York replaced its temporary pandemic-era remote ink notarization program with a permanent electronic notarization law, codified as Executive Law § 135-c, effective February 1, 2023.6New York Department of State. Notary Public Frequently Asked Questions The terminology matters: what you’re looking for is “electronic notarization,” not “remote online notarization” or “remote ink notarization.” Those older terms refer to processes that are no longer authorized.
Not every notary is set up for electronic acts, because a notary has to register separately with the Secretary of State before performing them. Confirm in advance that the notary you’re contacting is registered.
During an electronic session, the notary and signer communicate through audio-video technology in real time. The connection must be secure from interception, and the technology must allow the notary to visually identify the signer.7New York State Senate. New York Executive Law 135-C – Electronic Notarization Identity verification uses two or more different methods, which may include credential analysis (a third-party service validates your government ID against public and proprietary databases) and identity proofing (you answer questions drawn from your personal history). The notary then applies a tamper-evident electronic signature to the digital document, and any later alteration becomes detectable.
Documents Not in English
New York does not outright prohibit notarizing a document written in another language, but there are practical limits. The notarial certificate itself should be in English or a language the notary can read, and the notary and the signer must be able to communicate directly in the same language without relying on a third-party interpreter. If the notary cannot understand you or read the certificate wording, they have no way to properly complete the act.
The New York County Clerk’s Office limits its notary services to English-language documents.1NYCOURTS.GOV. Notary For a document in another language, your best option is finding a notary in NYC who speaks that language fluently. For translated documents, the translator can sign an affidavit confirming the translation’s accuracy, and that affidavit gets notarized separately.
If You Need the Document Used Abroad
To use a notarized document in another country that participates in the Hague Convention, you’ll likely need an apostille, an internationally recognized certification that authenticates the notary’s authority. In New York, the process has three steps:
- Get the document notarized by a New York notary public.
- Submit the notarized document to the County Clerk of the county where the notary is commissioned so the Clerk can verify the notary’s signature.
- Send the verified document, a completed request form, and a $10 fee to the New York State Department of State for authentication.8NYC.gov. Apostille Document Authentication
Documents issued by the federal government go through the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications instead. One critical warning from the State Department: do not get an original federal document notarized before submitting it for an apostille, because adding a notarization can invalidate it for apostille purposes.9U.S. Department of State. Preparing Your Document for an Apostille Certificate
Verifying a Notary’s Commission
To confirm that someone is a legitimately commissioned New York notary public before handing over your documents, the Secretary of State maintains a searchable database of all commissioned notaries through the Open Data NY platform.10New York Department of State. Search Commissioned NYS Notaries Public You can browse and filter the data by name or other criteria. Worth checking if you’re using a mobile notary you found online, where there’s a higher risk of encountering someone operating without a valid commission.