A notarization is when a notary public checks your identity and watches you sign a document to confirm it’s genuine.
It helps prevent fraud and makes your document legally trusted.
Common examples include:
Bring:
No. The notary must watch you sign the document to make it official.
Yes, but only for non-government documents (like diplomas or letters).
Birth, death, and marriage certificates must come from the vital records office, not a notary.
No. You can only sign for yourself, and the notary must verify your identity.
Yes, if:
Some documents do require witnesses (like wills or powers of attorney).
Check your form’s instructions — a notary can sometimes act as a witness if allowed.
An apostille is a special certificate that proves a document is real so it can be used in another country.
You need an apostille if you’re sending a New Jersey document to another country that’s part of the Hague Apostille Convention — for things like births, marriages, adoptions, business, or school.
No. Each state can only apostille documents issued in that state.
For example, a New York birth certificate must go through New York, not New Jersey.
Then you’ll need authentication and consular legalization, not an apostille.
(The NJ Division of Revenue can still guide you through the first step.)
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