Requirements for Notarizing a Document Before Consulate Authentication

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Document Notarization Requirements

A local notary public will need to notarize documents for non-government documents such as power of attorney and affidavits.  For school records like diplomas or transcripts, we recommend to request for a certified copy from your school’s registrar office to avoid damage to your original. If your document is issued from the government, notarization will not be needed BUT you must obtain a certified copy from the State. Government documents include vital records such as birth certificates and marriage certificates or business documents such as good standing certificates.

The document should be signed in the presence of the Notary Public. An acknowledgement must be added by the Notary Public such as: “Signed and sworn (or affirm) to before me this___ day of _______, 20__.” and completed with notary seal and signature.

• Document issued by the State such as vital records or certificate of good standing does not require notarization. You can obtain a certified copy or certificate and skip this step.
• The Chinese Consulate in San Francisco requires that all attached pages be stamped with the same notary seal if your document is multi-page.

*Certain states will require a County Clerk to certify the notary’s signature. Please check with your state if such a requirement exists, otherwise you can proceed to next step.

Sample:

After a document has been notarized, you can proceed to next step: State Authentication.

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