Oregon Notary Public

A Notary Public is “a person of proven integrity appointed by the state to act as an impartial witness” (National Notary Association).  A Notary performs a variety of official fraud-deterrent acts related to the signing of important documents.

The main function of a Notary is to become a witness to the legal proceeding of the relevant document. The Notary ensures to courts and other interested parties that the person signing a document knows what they are signing, can understand the document they are signing, and has proper ID and credentials to verify their signature is on the document.

• Proven Integrity
• Ministerial Office of the State
• Impartial Witness

A Notary is required not to act in situations where they have a personal interest as impartiality is the foundation of a Notary’s public trust.  Impartiality also dictates that a Notary never refuse to serve a person due to race, nationality, religion, politics, sexual-orientation, or status as a non-customer.

In Oregon, a Notary Public is licensed by the Secretary of State and the Notary Commission term is 4-years.  In addition to completing a training course and passing an exam, a notary in Oregon must:

• Successfully pass a background check
• Be a resident of Oregon
• Able to read and write English
• 18 years of age or older

A Notary’s duty is to screen the signers of documents such as:

• Property deeds and titles
• Affidavits
• Depositions
• Trusts
• Wills
• Powers of Attorney
• Certified Copies

A Notary’s primary function is to deter fraud and establish that the signer knows what document they’re signing and that they’re a willing participant in the transaction.