Elaine Rybski, Notary Public

01/01/2026

I have raised my prices slightly after two years of the same. Unfortunately I can't find the Menu or Notes to change the prices there, so until I do, please use this handy rate sheet to see what your notarization(s) might cost. For the new year, I wish all of you much happiness, good/improved health, and lasting peace.

09/25/2023

As a notary, one of the things I am frequently asked to do is notarize copies, meaning certify that one document is an exact replica of an original document. But there are certain documents that I am not allowed to certify, such as vital records (birth or death certificates), US naturalization certificates, or papers that clearly state "do not copy." Copies of those items must be obtained from the original source.

09/08/2023

If you need to send notarized documents to another country, usually an apostille will be required. But what is that? Essentially it is one step up the chain of command in notarization. As a notary, my job is to make sure you are who you say you are. For an apostille, the state makes sure I (the notary) am who I say I am! It is an extra layer of protection for when notarized documents are sent abroad.

08/07/2023

There are now six states (up from four, as of 2021) where becoming a notary also gains you the official ability to perform weddings! They are Florida, Maine, Montana, Nevada, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Outside of those states, if a notary wants to perform weddings, they would need to become a registered officiant.

07/27/2023

In general, notaries must live in the state in which they are commissioned. (There is an exception in Pennsylvania.) So I am licensed in PA and can only notarize within the state borders. However, people from other states can come into Pennsylvania and have me notarize their documents. So if you have friends visiting from out of town, ask beforehand if they need anything notarized and I can do it for them!

07/11/2023

One question which I get asked frequently is whether I will be using the notary embosser, the cool device that leaves a raised imprint on the papers. As of 2002, Pennsylvania changed the notary law and the embosser is no longer required. (Sorry!) The main purpose of the embosser at this point would be to put the imprint across several pages to make sure that they stayed together - if any one of them got lost, that part of the imprint would be obviously missing. But that can also be done with the regular notary stamp as well. I just make sure that the pages are offset somewhat and use my regular stamp across all of them at once, so the same objective is achieved.

06/23/2023

Most notaries do not become famous, and I'd guess that most people who are already famous do not become notaries. But there are at least a few famous notaries, one of whom was Thomas McKean, founding father and last signer of the Declaration of Independence! Here is a nice article about him (he's also on Wikipedia, of course), and you can see him portrayed in the movie 1776, which I highly recommend.

Of Scotch-Irish ancestry, McKean was born in 1734. He was the second son of a farmer-tavernkeeper who lived in New London Township, in Chester County, Pa., near the New Jersey and Delaware boundaries. After studying for 7 years at Rev. Francis Alison's academy at nearby New London, McKean read law w...

06/06/2023

More than two-thirds of notaries today are women, but this wasn’t always the case. Emily Calkins Stebbens was one of the first - if not the first - female notaries when commissioned by Iowa governor William M. Stone in 1866. Clara Foltz and Marilla Ricker, renowned for their advocacy during the women’s rights movement, served as the first female notaries in California and the District of Columbia, respectively. It wasn’t until the rise of urbanization in the late 1800s that demand for notaries prompted widespread access for women. (notary.com)

05/18/2023

Some documents, like wills and many powers of attorney, require that you have witnesses present, basically to make sure you are doing this of your own free will, are a legal adult, and are of sound mind. If you have these types of documents, make sure you check to see if you need witnesses ahead of time - keeping in mind that people who are working may not be allowed to participate and they must have no interest in the document. If you do need help finding a witness or two, I have people I can contact; however, please state so when you call me originally, as coordinating several people to meet at once can be tough!

05/01/2023

Notary Trivia Time! "Not only could women not vote, but, until the early 1900s, women in America were also prohibited from becoming Notaries. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. held that since there was no record of women holding the office in England, it could not be affirmed that women were capable of being Notaries. Today, more than two-thirds of America’s Notaries are women." (www.nationalnotary.org)

04/13/2023

Do you keep an electronic or paper copy of your ID in case it gets lost or stolen? That's a good policy, but unfortunately you won't be able to use that when you go to a notary. All IDs must be originals to decrease the chances of fraud.

03/27/2023

Your support means a lot to me! Here are some easy ways to help me increase my business that won't cost you anything but a few seconds of your time. And an increase in business means fewer price increases in the future. Bonus: you are supporting a small, local, woman-owned business. It's win-win-win for everyone! Positive reviews here on Facebook, on Google Maps, and on Nextdoor are very much appreciated.