Is it ok to notarize a Document in a Foreign Language?
May 18, 2009 at 6:45 am 2 comments
Do you have a document that you’ve been having trouble getting notarized because it is written in a foreign language? No problem, your california notary can handle the situation. As long as the signer is able to communicate with the Notary there isn’t a problem. The job of the Notary is to identify the signer, determine a willingness to sign, competence, and to ultimately prevent fraud. Many documents come and go from foreign governments and enviroments. Documents in foreign languages are common. It is very legal for a notary to notarize a document that he/she does not understand. As long as the signer is willing, competent, and able to communicate to the notary, everything is a go! A notary does make it a point to make sure that there are no blanks withing the page. Really, the document is the business of the signer and the receiving agency. Preventing fraud is the Notary’s business. See the California Notary Handbook, the government code, and civil code for complete details.
Entry filed under: notary. Tags: apostille, communicate, documents, foreign, foreign documents, fraud, notary.
1.
Apostille info | July 21, 2009 at 2:25 pm
I dont think that you can notarize it in other language.
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sandiegonotary | July 21, 2009 at 2:53 pm
We appreciate your comment! We are not attorneys, please always seek an attorney for legal advice. We have provided an excerpt from our CA Government’s issued notary handbook.
Laws may vary from state to state. In the State of CA the issued handbook states the following.
CA 2009 Notary Handbook (page 18) Click Here to Download .pdf Handbook
Foreign Language
A notary public can notarize a signature on a document in a foreign language with which they are not familiar, since a notary public’s function only relates to the signature and not the contents of the document. The notary public should be able to identify the type of document being notarized for entry in the notary public’s journal. If unable to identify the type of document, the notary public must make an entry to that effect in their journal, e.g. “a document in a foreign language.” The notary public should be mindful of the completeness of the document and must not notarize the signature on the document if the document appears to be incomplete. The notary public is responsible for completing the acknowledgment or jurat form. When notarizing a signature on a document, a notary public must be able to communicate with their customer in order for the signer either to swear to or affirm the contents of the affidavit or to acknowledge the execution of the document. An interpreter should not be used, as vital information could be lost in the translation. If a notary public is unable to communicate with a customer, the customer should be referred to a notary public who speaks the customer’s language.