Both a notary public and signature guarantee institution are authorized to witness and verify a signature, and then apply an official stamp to documents. You’ll need to bring proper identification and sign the documents in the presence of the official who will stamp the document.
Notary
A notary public is an individual with state certification to witness and authenticate a signature on many kinds of documents.
- Notaries attest deeds and other documents, or copies of them, usually under an official seal, to authenticate them.
- A notary’s duties primarily are related to commercial transactions.
Signature guarantee
Signature guarantees are used for financial transactions most commonly related to selling or transferring securities. A signature-guarantee institution has Federal authority to officially stamp documents.
- Authorization limit is $100,000 per transaction.
- A Signature Guarantee is sometimes required for the transfer of securities such as the sale or redemption of stocks or bonds.
