Notary Public Kentucky

In Kentucky, notary publics must follow a code of conduct and be willing to fulfill certain acts when called upon.

The complete list of duties is extensive, but this brief overview gives you an idea of what is involved with becoming a notary public in Kentucky:

• A notary public must take an oath of office before operating
• Notaries must have some sort of connection to the state of Kentucky. They may be a resident or work within the state (in addition to being a U.S. citizen)
• Notaries hold office for four years
• Each certificate signed by the notary must include the date the notary’s services expire
• Some individuals are exempt from notary fees. Those individuals include any person or dependent who has served in the National Guard, Coast Guard, or Marine Corps of the United States

A big part of the notary process is notarizing the paperwork the individual brings in to sign.  One of the lesser-known tasks is that a notary public must also verify your identity to ensure the validity of all signing agents. 

In Kentucky, a notary must be present to witness the signing of legal documents. That is, the notary must verify the contents of the signer’s documents and signature, then usually provides a stamp that “seals” the document and solidifies its official status.

The notary will also ask you for your agreement to the legal documents you signed and assurance that you do so of your own free will. 

And while notary publics in Kentucky are not bound by the law to use either the ink stamp or the embossing seal when signing documents, it is a recommended practice as an added layer of security.

Kentucky also offers a special commission notary, allowing agents across state lines to carry out document notarizations recorded in the state. While any public notary can perform notarization only within the state, the documents are also allowed to be recorded in other states.