Notarization Defined:
Broadly speaking, notarization is the authentication of a document as genuine or the verification that a statement was made under oath. The person who makes this authentication or verification is a public official, the Notary Public. Notarization provides assurance that the particular document is authentic and intended to be in force. For documents to be recorded in the public record (by a county recorder, for example), notarization is usually a requirement. There are certain results that no Notary act ever accomplishes:
• Notarization does not guarantee the truth or accuracy of statements in a document. The Notary Public has no obligation to verify a document’s contents.
• Notarization does not legalize or validate a document. A will or other legal paper that contains invalidating flaws before notarization will contain the same flaws afterward.