CDI Notary Services

CDI Notary Services Notary Public and Notary Signing Agent services.

How to Renew as a NotaryIf you're interested in renewing your commission as a Notary Public, this practical guide will a...
03/16/2025

How to Renew as a Notary
If you're interested in renewing your commission as a Notary Public, this practical guide will answer the most commonly asked questions.

What is the process to renew as a Notary Public?
While procedures differ from state to state, the general process to renew your Notary appointment includes:

Complete any state-required training or testing
Fill out and submit a Notary application
Purchase and file your bond (and take and file your oath, where required)
Take your oath of office
Receive your commission from the state
Order your Notary seal, journal and other supplies
Begin performing Notary duties

02/11/2025

California Notaries may accept ID cards issued by foreign consulates as proof of a signer’s identity — but there are some restrictions. In order to be accepted, the consular ID must be current or issued in the past 5 years, have a serial or identification number, and contain the signature, photograph, and description of the bearer. It’s important to note that not all “matricula consular” IDs issued by Mexican consulates may meet these requirements. An ID that does not meet the above requirements cannot be accepted as satisfactory evidence of a signer’s identity in California.

02/02/2025

Find out how to avoid notarization mistakes that lead to costly lawsuits with this advice from our veteran Notary experts.

01/26/2025

What is a Notary Public?
A Notary Public is an official appointed by a state government to serve the public as an impartial witness during notarizations. As ministerial officials, they are expected to follow statutory rules without the exercise of significant personal discretion.

Notaries Public certify the proper ex*****on of many of the life-changing documents of private citizens — whether those transactions convey real estate, grant powers of attorney, establish a prenuptial agreement, or perform the multitude of other activities that enable our civil society to function.

Celebrating my 3rd year on Facebook. Thank you for your continuing support. I could never have made it without you. 🙏🤗🎉
11/14/2024

Celebrating my 3rd year on Facebook. Thank you for your continuing support. I could never have made it without you. 🙏🤗🎉

Satisfactory Evidence: Satisfactory Evidence of identity “means the absence of any information, evidence, or other circu...
08/11/2024

Satisfactory Evidence: Satisfactory Evidence of identity “means the absence of any information, evidence, or other circumstances which would lead a reasonable person to believe that the person is not the individual he or she claims to be (CC 1185[b])

Identification Documents
Reasonable reliance on any of the following IDs, as long as they are current or issued in the past five years:

A CA driver’s license or nondriver’s ID
A U.S. passport (or passport card)
An inmate identification card issued by the CA Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (if the inmate is in custody in prison)
Any form of inmate identification issued by a sheriff’s department (if the inmate is in custody in a local detention facility).
Reasonable reliance on any of the following IDs, as long as they contain an identifying number and the photograph, signature and physical description of the bearer and they are current or issued within five years:

A valid consular identification document issued by a consulate from the applicant’s country of citizenship (consular cards traditionally did not include all required elements, The “third generation” Mexican consular ID does include all elements as of Sept 2022, please make sure to check that the Notary’s signer’s consular IDs include PPSS. cards issued to minors will not have all required elements)
A driver’s license or official nondriver’s ID issued by a U.S. state.
A Canadian or Mexican driver’s license issued by an appropriate public agency.
A U.S. military ID (An identification card issued by any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States)
A valid foreign passport from the applicant’s country of citizenship
An employee ID issued by an agency or office of a California city, county, or city and county.
An identification card issued by a federally recognized tribal government.
Per Bulletin article (11/09/2021) – “California and Ohio, have indicated that their Notaries can accept a mobile ID from another state provided it meets all other statutory ID requirements.”

Credible Witness: 1 personally known to the Notary or 2 unknown to Notary. All credible witnesses must provide valid form of identification.

Each Credible Witness is to swear or affirm the following:

The witness personally knows the signer.
The signer is the person named in the document.
The witness does not have a financial interest and is not named in the document.
The signer does not possess any of the identification documents authorized by law to establish the signer’s identity.
The witness has a reasonable belief that the circumstances of the signer are such that it would be very difficult or impossible for the signer to obtain another form of identification.
Journal Entry Required

When using a single credible witness personally known to the notary public, the journal shall contain the signature of the credible witness or the type of identifying document, the governmental agency issuing the document, the serial or identifying number of the document, and the date of issue or expiration of the document establishing the identity of the credible witness.
When using two credible witnesses whose identities are proven upon the presentation of Satisfactory Evidence, the journal shall contain the signatures of the credible witnesses and the type of identifying document, the governmental agency issuing the document, the serial or identifying number of the document, and the date of issue or expiration of the document establishing the identity of the credible witnesses.

3 customer service practices recommended by NotariesBe on time for every notarization.“I think the most important thing ...
07/25/2024

3 customer service practices recommended by Notaries
Be on time for every notarization.
“I think the most important thing is being on time and accurate. You want the signer to tell people that you arrived on time and the notarization was quick and fast — that goes a long way.”

— Lana Brown, Los Angeles, California

Show signers and clients that you know what you are doing.
“Make sure your commission and training stay up to date, and pay attention to what’s going on in your industry,”

— Shannon Ziccardi, Lake Forest, California

Keep your schedule flexible.
“Whatever the client needs, give them top-notch service. Be available above and beyond what signers may need. If they ask you to be there at 10 p.m., you do it.”

— David Green, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Three customer service mistakes Notaries should avoid
Don't complain about your situation or take frustrations out on your signers.
“Don’t badmouth companies you work for or criticize your competition in front of signers. Your job is to conduct the notarization and make sure everything goes smoothly. Never talk about negative stuff with customers.”

— David Green, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Don't neglect to let people know if a scheduling issue comes up.
“If you are going to be late, it’s important to let people know. It’s a big frustration for signers and companies when Notaries only call after the fact.”

— Sonita Leak, Greenville, South Carolina

Don't ignore mistakes or expect other people to fix them for you.
“Don’t say ‘I screwed up, I’ll just send the document in and hope it’s not an issue.' If you catch your mistakes and take a proactive approach to fixing them, that’s really appreciated.”

— David Krause, Seattle, Washington

Certify a Translation?Notaries in the United States are not authorized to certify translations, even if they are fluent ...
03/03/2024

Certify a
Translation?

Notaries in the United States are not authorized
to certify translations, even if they are fluent in a
particular foreign language.

A Notary’s seal and title may not lawfully be used to
guarantee the accuracy of a translation, nor to make
it official or valid. A Notary could get into serious
trouble with the law for misusing an official seal in
this way.
However, a Notary may notarize the signature of
another person on a translator’s declaration — as long
as the Notary is not the translator and notarizing his
or her own signature. Such a declaration would state
the translator’s qualifications and that the translation
is accurate to the best of the translator’s knowledge
and belief.
The translator must provide the exact wording for
any translator’s declaration.
If you’ve been asked to submit a Notary-certified
translation, you’ll have to explain to the requesting
agency that U.S. Notaries just aren’t authorized to do
this. A court-certified translator, though, might be able
to provide you with the needed certified translatio

01/08/2024

5 tips when notarizing for medical patients
By Laura Biewer on April 1, 2015

Updated 12-19-23. Notaries asked to perform signings in health care facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes need to be prepared for unique circumstances, from family members and medical staff to the facility's own policies.

Because patients in health care facilities can be very ill, heavily medicated or otherwise impaired, notarizing for them requires extra time, compassion and skill.

Often, patients who need to sign documents have issues with alertness, positive identification, signing ability and other challenges you won't find covered in your Notary handbook.

In this setting, clients are at their most vulnerable. They’re often stuck in a room with equipment connected to them that beeps or buzzes; arm bands or leg stockings that squeeze their limbs; and IV bags hanging on poles, etc. They may be lying down, draped in a gown and thin blanket, and not physically or mentally at their finest.

In this situation, they may need significant documents notarized, such as powers of attorney, which gives another person temporary or long-term power to make their medical or financial decisions. Here are tips for notarizing documents for clients in hospitals, hospices and other health care facilities:

Schedule extra time for hospital notarizations
Only notarize for an alert signer
Know guidelines for alternatives to full signatures
Understand the alternatives to ID documents
Know the requirements of the facility

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5400 Newcastle Avenue
Encino, CA
91316

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