Email: LynchburgNotary@gmail.com | Phone/Voice/Text: (434) 420-4387
" The pen is mightier... "

 

PROFILE
Notary Public: Richard Kevin Paul
Education: Bachelor's degree (Radford), Master's degree (VCU)
State Commissioned in: Commonwealth of Virginia
Notary Commission Exp. Date: 11/30/2021
Mobile Notary (travel to you): Yes
Notary Training (NNA & NLI): Yes
Notary Signing Agent Certified (NNA): Yes
TILA-RESPA/TRID Training: Yes
Background-Screened: Yes
E & O Insured: Yes
Privacy Guaranteed: Yes
Hours: By Appointment

FEES (cash or check only, upon completion)
Notarization Fee: $5 per signature notarized (set by state law)
Travel Fee: $10 : Lynchburg (24501, 24502, 24503, 24504)
Travel Fee: $10 - $30 : Alta Vista (24517), Amherst, Bedford Co., Concord (24538), Campbell Co., Forest (24551), Madison Heights (24572) & Rustburg.

NOTICE & DISCLAIMER
A VA Notary may DECLINE to notarize a document [Code of VA, Title 47.1-15]. I am not an attorney licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia and may not give legal advice or accept fees for legal advice. By accessing and using this website, you agree to its Terms.

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Content Sections:
1. What Is A Notary Public
2. What Is A Notary Signing Agent
3. What A Notary Can Do
4. What Is Required To Have a Document Notarized
5. What A Notary Cannot Do
6. Affiliations/Certification

In Virginia, A Notary Public (or Notary) is appointed by the Governor, overseen by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, and acts to serve the public as an official, impartial witness to the identity and signature of the person who comes before the Notary for a specific purpose. The person may be taking an oath, giving oral or written testimony, or signing or acknowledging his or her signature on a legal document. In each case, the Notary attests that certain formalities have been observed. In carrying out his or her duties, a Notary not only follows what is dictated in state law but exercises subjective judgment on matters such as the state of mind of the signer, the signer’s comprehension of the transaction, and whether fraud and/or coercion are present. If any of the aforementioned matters are questionable, a Notary is obligated to decline to notarize the documents(s) in order to protect him/herself and the client from possible legal challenges and liability.


A booklet produced by the NNA explaining the Notary's role can be found here.
Information detailing the history of Notaries Public can be found here and here.

Notary Signing Agents (or NSA or CSA) are Notaries Public who usually have experience and/or training concerning the proper execution of loan documents. Signing Agents are hired as an independent contractor by mortgage companies, escrow companies, title companies, and signing services to ensure that real estate loan documents are executed by the borrower, notarized, and returned for processing on time. A Signing Agent is an impartial party to the transaction, and must adhere to the notary laws of their state or jurisdiction. Signing Agents may identify documents and can point out terms to the loan transaction; however, they are prohibited from giving legal advice or in any way explaining or interpreting the meaning of any terms or documents, and they are not permitted to prepare the documents, or alter them in any way. A Signing Agent should insure that they are disinterested in the transaction and have a mutual obligation to all parties to remain objective, neutral to any position, insure awareness of document contents by affiant and make a reasonable effort to prevent fraud and protect affiants from coercion.

Click here for information on the technologies and equipment utilized.
Military IDs may not be copied or duplicated, under federal law [Title 18, U.S. Code, Part I, Chapter 33, Section 701]. Recent VA law prohibits Signing Agents (who are not licensed "Settlement Agents") from handling funds relating to real estate transactions.

1. Notarization of Acknowledgments (documents, wills, forms, POAs, etc.).

2. Administering and Certifying Oaths and Affirmations ("Do you swear...", etc.).

3. Certifying Affidavits and Depositions.

4. Certifying "True Copies" of documents (except court documents & vital records).
    [The document must be photo-copied by the Notary]

5. Verifications of fact.

I am not an attorney licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia and may not give legal advice or accept fees for legal advice; therefore, I do not provide legal forms or documents for clients and recommend that they consult a licensed attorney for obtaining or drafting legal documents.
Frequently-Asked Questions.
Click here for information on obtaining legal documents online.
Click here and click here for information on obtaining a Virginia Apostille.

1. Appear in person and, in most cases, sign in the presence of the Notary. If at all possible, do not sign your document(s) prior to meeting with the Notary.

2. Provide proof of identity, which may include any of the following provided it is unexpired and includes a photo and signature:
    a. A valid state-issued Driver's License or ID card,
    b. A valid U.S. Passport or Passport Card,
    c. A valid Foreign Passport,
    d. A valid Permanent Resident Card,
    e. A valid U.S. Military ID.
The name on the document must match the name on your ID. When additional witnesses are required, they are also subject to aforementioned 1 & 2, and may not be used if they pose a conflict of interest. Credible witnesses may also not be used for convenience, such as when a signer has "forgotten" their state-issued ID. Bank/Credit Cards, Insurance Cards, Corporate/Employment ID Cards, Birth Certificates and Social Security Cards are NOT acceptable forms of Identification.

3. Be acting of your own free will, without coercion or pressure, and understand what it is that you are doing. The signer may be engaged in simple conversation to determine their state of mind and general awareness. In the event that the signer is impaired by medication, such as in a hospital or hospice setting, the notarization will not be performed and the appointment may be rescheduled on the advice of physician or nursing staff.

Notarization details are entered into a secured physical Notary Journal for record-keeping compliance set forth by the Signing Professionals Workgroup Notary and Signing Agent Code of Conduct and Standards of Practice. These details include the client's signature for future comparison and proof of appearance before the Notary. Entries are obfuscated between clients to ensure no personal data isvisible. Notary Journals are only accessible by court subpoena and law enforcement, and certified copies of specific entries must be requested in writing by someone with knowledge of the date of the Notarization in question and be directly involved with the event.

A VA Notary may DECLINE to notarize a document [Code of VA, Title 47.1-15]. Military IDs may not be copied or duplicated, under federal law [Title 18, U.S. Code, Part I, Chapter 33, Section 701].

1. Cannot certify "True Copies" of court-issued document(s). Contact the Court Clerk.

2. Cannot certify "True Copies" of vital records: birth, death or marriage certificates. Those can be obtained from full-service DMV locations and the Virginia Dept. of Health.

3. Cannot offer legal advice or make suggestions pertaining to the crafting or legal interpretation of any document. The signer must obtain and provide their own document(s); except where a Notary Signing Agent provides (without legal advice) lender-prepared loan documents for borrowers.

4. Cannot certify or guarantee that the contents of a document are either true, correct or legal - only the signatures that are notarized and the identity of the signer. The signer is responsible for the content of the document(s).

5. Cannot perform marriages (in Virginia).

I am not an attorney licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia and may not give legal advice or accept fees for legal advice; therefore, I do not provide legal forms or documents for clients and recommend that they consult a licensed attorney for obtaining or drafting legal documents.
Frequently-Asked Questions.
Click here for information on obtaining legal documents online.
Click here and click here for information on obtaining a Virginia Apostille.

Affiliations/Certification

  

     


Richard Kevin Paul - Lynchburg Notary LLC
Mobile Notary Public & Certified Signing Agent
Member, American Association of Notaries®
Member, American Association of Signing Agents
Member, American Society of Notaries®
Member, National Notary Association® & SigningAgent.com®
Member, Notary Law Institute
Member, Notary Rotary®
Member, 123Notary

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