Notary and Affirmation Service

Who This Is For

People who have done the work, have their documents in order, and have hit the one step they cannot do alone. Cash claims of $1,000 or more, all securities claims and all safe deposit box claims require a notarized affirmation.

How an Appointment Works

• Bring the completed affirmation — unsigned
• Bring valid government-issued photo identification
• We verify your identity and witness the signature
• The notarial act is recorded in our journal as state law requires
• You keep the notarized original and file it yourself

Fees

Notarial acts are charged at the maximum fee permitted by California law — set by the state, not by us. Travel for mobile appointments is separate and quoted before we come out.

When a Claim Must Be Notarized

Three cases, and the State Controller allows no discretion in any of them:

• Cash claims of $1,000 or more
• All securities claims, whatever the value
• All safe deposit box claims, whatever the value

Below those thresholds, a straightforward cash claim in your own name usually needs no notary at all.

What the Notary Is Actually Doing

Witnessing your signature on the claim affirmation, and verifying that you are the person signing. That is the whole of it. A notary does not verify that you are entitled to the property, does not check your documents against the Controller’s record, and cannot advise you on whether your claim will succeed.

What to Bring

Current government photo identification. Not expired — a notary may not proceed on an expired ID, and there is no discretion there either. A California driver’s licence or state ID, a US passport, a military ID, or a foreign passport all satisfy the requirement.

Bring the unsigned claim. Do not sign it beforehand: the signature has to happen in front of the notary, and a pre-signed form has to be redone.

What It Costs

Notarial fees in California are set by statute, and a notary may not charge more than the maximum the state allows per signature. Where notarization is part of a recovery we are already handling, it is included rather than billed separately.

Mobile and In-Office

We notarize at the office and can travel where that is difficult — for claimants who are elderly, in care, in hospital, or without transport. Travel is a separate arrangement from the notarial fee itself, which remains capped by statute.

The Notice California Requires

A notary public is not an attorney and may not give legal advice about immigration or any other legal matter. Government Code section 8219.5 requires that notice to appear in English and in every other language in which a notary advertises, which is why it sits in the footer of every page here.