Mobile notary & loan signing FAQ

A mobile notary public is a state-commissioned public officer who travels to the signer's location — home, office, hospital, jail, coffee shop — to witness signatures, administer oaths, and complete acknowledgments and jurats. In Arizona, notaries are commissioned by the Secretary of State for a four-year term and must post a $5,000 surety bond.

The notary verifies the signer's identity using an acceptable ID, confirms the signer is aware and willing (not coerced, not incapacitated), watches the signature happen, then completes a notarial certificate — either an acknowledgment (signer acknowledges the signature is theirs) or a jurat (signer swears the contents are true). Everything is recorded in the notary's journal.

Arizona accepts a current (or expired within the last 5 years) government-issued photo ID with a signature: driver's license, state ID, U.S. passport, military ID, tribal ID, or matrícula consular from certain consulates. If ID is unavailable, two credible witnesses who personally know the signer and can themselves produce ID may substitute under A.R.S. § 41-311.

The state cap for a standard notarial act is $10 per signature/stamp. Mobile notaries add a separate travel fee, which is not regulated by the state — it covers time, mileage, and after-hours availability. Travel fees are disclosed before the appointment.

No. Arizona notaries public are prohibited from drafting legal documents, selecting the type of notarization for you, or giving legal advice unless they are also a licensed attorney. Bring the completed document — we notarize signatures on it.

Yes, and sometimes they must. A notary must refuse if the signer cannot be properly identified, appears confused or under duress, does not understand the document, refuses to swear an oath when required, or if the document is incomplete or has blank spaces.

Yes. The signer must appear in person before the notary — in Arizona, either physically in the same room or, for Remote Online Notarization (RON), live over approved audio-video technology with a commissioned Arizona remote notary. A notary may not notarize a signature from a scan, fax, photo, or a document mailed in after-the-fact.

RON allows a notary commissioned as an Arizona remote online notary to notarize documents over a secure video platform, verifying identity through knowledge-based authentication and credential analysis. Not all documents are eligible — some counties, lenders, and title companies still require in-person (wet) signings.

The notary must be able to communicate directly with the signer — no third-party interpreter for the notarial act itself in Arizona. The document doesn't need to be in English, but the notary must understand the notarial certificate they are completing.

Yes. Arizona notaries are required to keep a sequential journal of every notarial act — date, time, type of act, document description, signer's name and ID, signer's signature, and fee. Journals are retained for at least five years after the commission expires.

A Notary Signing Agent (also called a Loan Signing Agent, or LSA) is a commissioned notary public with specialized training to walk borrowers through mortgage loan document packages, direct signatures and initials on every required page, and return the completed package to the title company or lender on time.

A regular notary only witnesses signatures. An NSA is trained to identify and present dozens of specific loan documents — Note, Deed of Trust, Closing Disclosure, Right to Cancel, 1003, First Payment Letter — and knows what borrowers can and cannot ask about. NSAs are also background-screened annually and carry E&O insurance, both of which title companies typically require.

Refinances (conventional, FHA, VA), purchase transactions (buyer and seller sides), Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOCs), reverse mortgages (HECM — requires certification), construction loans, loan modifications, and seller packages.

A refinance is usually 45–60 minutes. A purchase signing runs 45–75 minutes depending on lender. A HELOC is often 20–30 minutes. Reverse mortgages take 60–90 minutes because of counseling disclosures. Bringing all borrowers, IDs, and any required funds ready shortens every appointment.

The signing agent is a neutral third party contracted through the title/escrow company or a signing service — not the lender, not the borrower. Their job is to make sure documents are executed correctly and impartially.

An NSA can point to where a term appears in the document (rate on the Note, APR on the CD, prepayment penalty on the rider) but cannot interpret whether the terms are good, negotiate, or advise. Questions about numbers go to the loan officer; questions about legal implications go to an attorney.

A current government-issued photo ID for every borrower on title, any co-signers physically present, and — for purchases — a cashier's check or wire confirmation for closing funds if required. A pen with dark blue or black ink helps (we bring extras).

On most owner-occupied refinances and HELOCs, federal law (TILA) gives the borrower three business days to cancel the loan after signing. Funding cannot happen until that window closes. Purchase transactions and investment properties don't get a rescission period.

Signing fees are typically paid by the title company or signing service out of closing costs, not directly by the borrower. Direct-to-consumer signings (private-party sales, one-off packages) generally run $150–$300 depending on document count, distance, and time of day.

Yes. Pierced Mobile Notary is NNA-certified, background-screened annually, bonded, and E&O insured — the four requirements title companies check before assigning a signing.