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 typically use an official seal to authenticate deeds and other documents.
- A notary's duties apply to documents such as deeds, wills, powers of attorney and 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.
