I’ve been fairly annoyed in the past at going to find a notary for various needs. Sometimes I’d stop in at a credit union or bank and get it done for free, or even a UPS store for a fee, but these stops often have taken between 10 and even 30 minutes if there was a wait.
Notarizing saves time on paperwork & trips to government offices
Notarizing stuff allows you to send signed documents electronically or via mail. Notarized signatures are commonly needed for banking needs (like loans) and government identification (e.g., passports, licenses, etc.)
I had to get some identification-related documents notarized so that I wouldn’t have to show up in person at some miserable government office. You typically have to make those trips during regular business hours which means disrupting your workday and driving. In my experience, these disruptions can consume 1-2 hours in a day and disrupt flow and concentration. If you’re a working professional, it’s well worth $20-$30 to avoid it.
OnlineNotary.net is fast and cheap
The service I use is onlinenotary.net — during regular business hours, I always manage to get on with a notary in 10 minutes or less. They charge a $20 flat fee for the signer and then $5 per document stamp that they issue.
I don’t think it’s the cheapest option out there by any stretch, but the website is well-built and fast and retains old documents for you to review. The annotation and signing technology is point-and-click. Most importantly, the service has a quick turnaround. Given my penchant for saving time, once I found this as an option, I simply stopped looking for another alternative.
Other notary providers
You might have other specialized needs like multiple signers or require other professional services. The Balance has a comprehensive review of Online Notaries to check out.
