Where to Get a Document Notarized

The short version

If you have a bank account and a branch nearby, start there — it is the option most likely to be free. If you do not, or you need it outside business hours, a shipping store or an online session will be faster than hunting for an appointment.

The post office is the one to cross off the list. The USPS is a federal agency and notarial commissions are issued by states, so post offices do not provide notary services — a detail that catches out a lot of people trying to complete USPS Form 1583.

Shipping and print stores

The UPS Store is the most common walk-in option and most locations have a notary on staff. Because the stores are independently owned franchises, availability, hours and pricing differ from one to the next, so it is worth a phone call before you drive over.

• • Usually available during normal store hours, no appointment
• • Notary fees are capped by state law, but the store may add its own service charge
• • The notary is a staff member — if they are off that day, the service is not available

Banks and credit unions

Many banks notarize free for their own account holders, which makes this the cheapest route if you already have an account. Non-customers are often turned away or charged. Branch staffing is the catch: not every branch has a notary on duty, and many require an appointment.

Banks also tend to apply their own policies about what they will handle, and commonly decline documents they consider high-liability.

The post office

Post offices do not offer notary services. What confuses matters is that privately run mailbox and shipping stores often sit near, or look like, a post office and may offer notarization — but they are separate businesses, not the USPS.

FedEx Office and Office Depot

FedEx Office does not employ notaries the way The UPS Store generally does, which surprises people who assume the two shipping chains work the same way. Where notarization is offered at a FedEx or Office Depot location it is usually through an online notarization partner rather than a staff notary at the counter, so the experience is closer to an online session than a walk-in one.

As with any franchise or partner arrangement, confirm with the specific location rather than assuming the brand offers it everywhere.

Who is actually allowed to notarize

None of these businesses holds the authority themselves. A notary public is commissioned by a state, works under that state's notary law, and applies a seal showing that commission — the employer is incidental. A bank, a shipping store and an online platform are all just places where a commissioned notary happens to work.

That distinction explains most of the confusion on this page. It is why a post office cannot notarize despite being a government office, why a bank can turn you away without breaking any rule, and why an online notary in another city can be as valid as the one at your branch.

Mobile and independent notaries

An independent or mobile notary will travel to you, which is the usual answer for hospital, care-home and after-hours signings, or when several people need to sign in one place. You pay the state-capped notarial fee plus a travel fee, so it is the most expensive option and needs scheduling.

Online notarization

A remote online notarization happens over a live video call: you upload the document, verify your identity, sign on camera, and receive a sealed PDF. There is no travel and no branch hours to work around, which is why it tends to win when the alternative is finding an appointment.

It is not right for everything — a handful of document types still need wet ink, and whether a receiving agency accepts an electronically notarized document is their decision. The requirements page covers what applies in your state.

What to have ready, wherever you go

The reasons a notarization gets refused are almost always the same four, and all of them are avoidable.

• • A current, government-issued photo ID that matches the name on the document
• • Every signer present — a notary cannot notarize a signature for someone who is not there
• • An unsigned document, unless the act is an acknowledgment
• • The complete document, including the page carrying the notarial certificate

Terms worth knowing

Acknowledgment

— A notarial act where you declare to the notary that you signed a document willingly. You can sign before the meeting; the notary confirms your identity and your acknowledgment, then completes the certificate. Deeds, powers of attorney and most agreements use an acknowledgment. Contrast a jurat, where you sign in front of the notary and swear the contents are true.

Jurat

— A notarial act where you sign the document in the notary's presence and swear or affirm that its contents are true. The certificate reads "sworn to (or affirmed) and subscribed before me". Affidavits and sworn applications use a jurat.

Notarial certificate

— The wording the notary completes and signs on the document: the venue (state and county), the date, the type of act (jurat or acknowledgment), the signer's name, and the notary's signature and seal. If a form has no certificate, the notary attaches a loose one.