♦ WHAT IS A NOTARY PUBLIC? A notary public is a public officer appointed by the state government to serve the public in civil or non-controversial matters usually related to estates, deeds, power-of-attorney, and foreign and international business. ♦ WHAT ARE THE POWERS & RESPONSIBILITIES OF A NOTARY? A notary’s functions include taking affidavits and statutory declarations, authenticate certain documents, administer oaths, provide acknowledgment of deeds etc. A notary also has power of attorney for providing notice to foreign drafts; prepare protest notes and bills of exchange and other official acts as considered by the jurisdiction of the state. A notary becomes responsible for the authenticity of the notarial act performed. And therefore, a notary usually notarizes a person, document or a deed upon a receipt of satisfactory proof of identity or by the notary's own personal knowledge of the person appearing before them. A notary may not notarize their own signature, or that of their immediate family. ♦ WHAT ARE THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS TO BECOME A NOTARY PUBLIC IN FLORIDA? An individual 18 years of age or older who is a resident of Florida may apply to become a notary public in Florida. However, another important requirement is to obtain a public bond worth $7,500 which is a form of insurance given by the notary to client in case of any harm caused to the client if there is any breach of duty at notary’s end. First time applicants must also undertake an essential notary education course online administered and approved by the Government of Florida. ♦ WHAT IS A NOTARY ACKNOWLEDGMENT STAMP? A notary acknowledgment stamp is a mandatory seal used by the notaries to notarize documents. Without this stamp, the document is not considered to be notarized. Once you apply to become a notary, you are automatically entitled to receive the Florida notary stamp along with your notary commission if your application is approved. ♦ HOW TO BECOME A NOTARY PUBLIC IN FLORIDA? 1. First, make sure you fulfill the minimum requirements to become a notary. 2. Download free notary forms, fill it out and send it to us directly. For instructions and sources, check out the application to become a notary 3. If you are a first time applicant, you need to go through an essential notary education course which takes 3 hours online. 4. Once you complete your online course and submit your application, you will receive your notary commission along with the necessary acknowledgment stamp within a few weeks, if your application is approved by the government office. ♦ WHAT ARE THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE AARON NOTARY? Aaron Notary provides complete hands-on information about how to apply for Florida notary public. We supply the necessary application form for you to fill it out and submit online. The submitted application form is then transferred to the government for approval. All the necessary state fees and payments are completed along with the application and are usually included in the complete fee charged by the agency. Processing is usually completed within 30 business days and once your application is approved, documents and seals are shipped separately to you. All our notary stamps will include; bonded thru Aaron Notary, please contact our office prior to your submission for any special request. Sample Impression. ♦ HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO BECOME A NOTARY? The cost of notary is very nominal. The state fees are fixed by law at $39 and other costs including cost for obtaining $7,500 bond, notary stamp, tax inclusions, S&H, etc. These costs vary from agency to agency. Aaron Notary offers you complete services package starting at $81.00. ♦ WHY IS NOTARY EDUCATION ESSENTIAL? A notary education online course is one of the minimum requirements you need to fulfill in order to become a notary. The course is designed to give you the information necessary to perform your notarial duties with confidence. A first time application has to go through this essential notary education course whereas others can simply renew their application once they complete the 4 year term. ♦ HOW TO RENEW THE NOTARY APPLICATION? For Florida notary renewal you need to simply submit your social security number for background check. Fill out the renewal form and send the complete application form to us for notary public renewal Florida ♦ WHAT HAPPEN TO MY $7,500 BOND? In the State of Florida, bonds purchased from Aaron Notary Appointment Services Inc. are processed and then sent to the Dept. of State, Notary Division. The bond is never sent to you directly. The bond is delivered to the state once your completed application has been sent to us, as the bond form is part of the Florida Notary application. Required and held by the State of Florida, Florida Statutes, Chapter 117.01(7)(a)(c). To obtain a copy of the bond CLICK HERE. * WHAT IS A REMOTE ONLINE NOTARY PUBLIC (RON)? An Online Notary Public is a notary public commissioned under part I of this chapter, a civil-law notary appointed under chapter 118, or a commissioner of deeds appointed under part IV of chapter 721, who has registered with the Department of State to perform online notarization under this part. * WHAT IS AN ONLINE NOTARIZATION? An Online Notarization means the performance of a notarial act using electronic means in which the principal appears before the notary public by means of audio-video communication technology (RON service provider).