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The National Notary Bulletin

Can I notarize a document for my parents?

By NNA Staff on May 8, 2023

Photo of woman with long dark hair on phone. She is looking at papers in her hand. Text on image reads NNA Hotline Tip.

As a Notary in Illinois, can I notarize a document for my parents? — N. R. Illinois

Yes. For the state of Illinois, there are no restrictions regarding notarizing for relatives.

For information on notarizing for family members in other states, please see our article “A guide to notarizing for family members.”

Hotline answers are based on the laws in the state where the question originated and may not reflect the laws of other states. If in doubt, always refer to your own state statutes. – The Editors

Confronted with a tricky notarization? Unsure how to proceed? NNA members have unlimited access to our expertly trained NNA Hotline consultants to help you with all of your notarial questions. Call 1-888-876-0827, Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. PST; Saturday, 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST.

Related Video:

Notarizing for family members (YouTube)

View All: Hotline Tips

5 Comments

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Rajesh W

06 Mar 2024

There is conflicting information about Notarizing for family members - Google brings this out as the first result in the search where it says Yes to Notarizing for family members - https://www.nationalnotary.org/notary-bulletin/blog/2023/05/hotline-can-i-notarize-document-for-parents#:~:text=Yes.,to%20notarizing%20for%20family%20members.%E2%80%9D and then there is another article here which says "Illinois prohibits Notaries from notarizing the signatures of a spouse, children or “other relatives.” , though the Guide is from 2016 it says last updated 12/2023 https://www.nationalnotary.org/notary-bulletin/blog/2016/12/guide-notarizing-family-members So what's true ?

National Notary Association

11 Mar 2024

Hello. The Hotline Tip is correct. We've removed the incorrect information about Illinois from the article about notarizing for family members. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Marlene Harris

21 May 2024

I live in Arizona. Can I notorize documents for family members?

National Notary Association

22 May 2024

Hello. In Arizona, “A notarial officer may not perform a notarial act with respect to a record to which … the officer’s spouse is a party or in which [the spouse] has a direct beneficial interest” (ARS 41-328.B). The state Notary Public Reference Manual has the following recommendation: “A notary is an impartial witness. Just because the law allows a notary public to notarize for other family members, it is not a recommended action. Many courts have found that a sibling or other family member relationship implies some type of financial or beneficial interest in transactions thereby negating an argument for impartiality”

J.D. Walker (Virginia)

26 May 2024

I think the law doesn't matter, I think notarizing for close relatives undermines the carefully crafted appearance of impartiality that's so important for us to maintain as notaries public. It's never a good idea, whether the notary benefits from it or not. Don't do it.

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