policies
Please read through our policies. Using Late Night Notary’s services constitutes an acceptance of the policies below. If you have any questions, please let us know.
Basic Requirements
Below are the basic requirements for obtaining a notary service from Late Night Notary.
Safety
Locations where customers request service must be easily accessible by vehicle, well-lit, and clear of any obstructions. No at-home service will be provided after 9 PM unless we have previous knowledge of the customer. The customer is responsible for providing our notaries with a safe place to park and work, and service may be refused if the notary does not feel safe.
Identification
Any signers must have current physical identification showing their picture and signature. We prefer either a driver’s license or a state identification card. This is a requirement of the Commonwealth, and any notary service CAN NOT proceed without it. While not necessary, a second form of identification is always useful.
Competence
While it sounds complicated, this protects the signer from being coerced into signing something against their own “free will” and is also a requirement of notarization in the Commonwealth.
Service will be refused if the notary determines you are:
- Incapacitated – temporary, such as under the influence of drugs and alcohol, or permanently affect your ability to communicate or understand.
- Blind/Deaf – but only if other avenues of communication are unavailable, such as speech, writing, etc.
- A Minor – Customers under 18 must have a parent or guardian present to seek notary service.
- Unable to speak and understand English – We cannot perform notary services for individuals who cannot communicate in English. We will direct you to a local notary public who can speak your language fluently. This is to protect you and avoid misunderstandings or miscommunication.
- Being Coerced to Sign – Notaries must make an effort by law to ascertain whether or not a signer is requesting service of their own free will. Notaries must refuse service if they are not satisfied that the signer is not being coerced. We may ask questions to decide.
This is not an exhaustive list of why notary services may be refused, but these are the most common reasons.
Document Requirements
All document pages must be present before signing for it to be notarized, and we prefer you include any instructions. All signers must be present unless the document signer permits separate signings. A document cannot be notarized if it is presented pre-signed and the instructions indicate the signature was to happen in the presence of a notary.
Power of Attorney
Notaries in Pennsylvania are required to determine that all involved be of sound mind and able to comprehend and agree to the actions being taken. This protects both the assignor and the notary. If we cannot satisfactorily determine the above, our notaries will refuse service. It’s required by law.
Please note that this doesn’t affect situations where power of attorney has already been granted, but again, we must take additional steps to protect everyone involved.
Refusal of Service and Non-Discrimination
Notaries reserve the right under Pennsylvania law to refuse notarization for any reason but are prohibited from refusing service based on any of the following:
- Race
- Color
- National Origin
- Sexual Orientation
- Gender Identity
- Pregnancy
- Disability
- Marital Status
- If the notary disagrees with the contents, but it is not fraudulent
The most common reason for refusal is a failure to follow the document’s instructions. Ensure you understand the instructions, and consult with the document sender or recipient or your attorney if you don’t.
Late Policy and Cancellations
Life happens. We allow customers to cancel until our notary leaves for your appointment at no charge. Cancellations after this time can only occur after the travel and administrative fees are paid.
Our notaries will wait up to ten minutes at a location for you to arrive if you aren’t already at the chosen location. After that, a cancellation fee of the travel and administrative fees is due, and the notary is free to leave.
Late Night Notary makes every attempt to arrive at appointments on time. However, we cannot be held responsible for acts outside our control, such as inclement weather, accidents, road closures, and other events preventing us from promptly reaching your location.
If this occurs, we will provide you with updates on our ETA and/or reschedule the appointment at no charge.
Travel
Late Night Notary can travel anywhere within a 30-minute one-way driving distance from zip code 19609. If you live outside this area, we may still be able to serve you or direct you to a mobile notary in your area.
Travel fees are calculated using a roundtrip distance calculation using Google Maps. Travel fees are non-refundable if we cannot complete the notarization through no fault of the Late Night Notary or if the customer fails to follow the cancellation policy.
Oz Media Clients
We can provide notary services for clients of Oz Media (our parent company). However, we cannot notarize documents Oz Media has written for you as they would constitute a “pecuniary (financial) interest” under Pennsylvania notary law. These documents must be notarized by a neutral third party, which would be any notary not employed by either Oz Media or Late Night Notary.