Hospitals
Bedside notarizations for patients who cannot leave, often a power of attorney or an advance health care directive. The patient must be awake and able to talk with the notary. Hospital signings.
Mobile Notary in Van Nuys
We bring the notary to the signer: hospital rooms, nursing homes, jails and prisons, and private homes within roughly 40 miles of Van Nuys. Same-day and emergency visits are welcome, in English or Spanish.
Same-day and emergency visits welcome.
Call (818) 285-8568 and we will tell you how soon we can be there.
Office: 14545 Friar St Ste 100, Van Nuys, CA 91411, open 7 days
- Same-day visits
- Emergency visits
- Hospitals and nursing homes
- Jails and prisons
- English and Spanish
- Mobile Live Scan
Same-Day and Emergency Mobile Notary
A signing that cannot wait usually involves a deadline that falls today or someone who cannot travel: a parent going into surgery, a relative in a care facility or a family member in custody. Call as soon as you know, and we will tell you when we can be there and what the visit will cost.
We travel within roughly 40 miles of our Van Nuys office, and sometimes further. That covers the San Fernando Valley, from Sherman Oaks, Encino and North Hollywood to Panorama City, along with Burbank, Glendale, Santa Clarita and much of Los Angeles. If your location is further out, call anyway, because we can sometimes make the trip.
Hospital, Nursing Home, Jail and Home Notary Visits
Nursing Homes
Skilled nursing, assisted living and board and care homes. An advance health care directive signed in a skilled nursing facility also needs an ombudsman as a witness. What that means.
Jails and Prisons
County jails and state prisons, under each facility's rules for professional visits. Inmate ID issued by the sheriff or the state prison system counts as ID. Jail visits.
Private Homes
For anyone who is homebound, recovering, or caring for someone and cannot get away, at their own kitchen table.
How a Mobile Notary Visit Works
A mobile visit follows the same California rules as a notarization in our office, with the journal and seal brought to wherever the signer is.
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Call with the details
Tell us where the signer is, how many people are signing, which documents, and when it has to be done.
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Get your quote
We quote the visit before we set out, based on the distance, the time, the day and the type of location.
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Get the signer ready
Have the complete, unsigned document and the signer's ID in the room. For a jail or prison, arrange the visit with the facility first.
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We come and notarize
We check ID, confirm the signer understands and wants to sign, watch them sign, and complete the certificate and our journal on the spot.
What to Have Ready Before a Mobile Notary Arrives
1. The complete document, unsigned
Bring every page, with every blank filled in or crossed out. California law requires a notary to refuse a document that is incomplete. Leave the signature line empty until we arrive: some notarizations, such as a jurat, require the signer to sign in front of the notary, and signing in front of us avoids the question.
We notarize the signature. We cannot prepare the document or tell you what should go in it, so get it from the attorney, bank, agency or person who asked for it.
2. The signer's ID
The signer needs one of these, current or issued within the last five years:
- A California driver's license or DMV ID card
- A U.S. passport
- An inmate ID card from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, for someone in state prison
- Inmate identification issued by a sheriff's department, for someone in a county jail
Other IDs also work if they carry a photo, a physical description, a signature and an ID number: a passport or consular ID from the signer's country of citizenship, a driver's license or ID card from another state, a Mexican or Canadian driver's license, a U.S. military ID, a California state, county or city employee ID, or a tribal ID. Bring the card itself. Hospitals often lock a patient's wallet in a safe or send it home with family, so get it back to the bedside before we arrive. If the signer has no usable ID, see when the signer has no valid ID.
3. A signer who is alert and can talk with us
The signer has to be there in person and tell the notary directly that they are signing. California does not allow a notarization over video. If medication makes the signer drowsy, ask the nurse when they are usually most alert and book the visit for then.
4. Any witnesses the document asks for
Some documents need witness signatures as well as a notary. Check the document or ask whoever prepared it, and have the witnesses in the room when we arrive.
5. Access to the room
Let the nursing station or front desk know a notary is coming, with the patient's name and room number. Jails and prisons set their own procedure, covered below.
When the Signer Has No Valid ID
The ID has expired
Any ID on the list above, inmate ID included, still works if it was issued within the last five years, even after its expiration date.
There is no ID at all: credible witnesses
California allows identity to be proven by credible witnesses instead: either one witness the notary personally knows, or two witnesses the notary does not know, each showing their own acceptable ID. Every credible witness must:
- Personally know the signer
- Not be named in the document, and have no financial interest in it
- Swear that the signer has no acceptable ID and that getting one would be very difficult or impossible
- Sign the notary's journal
Family members who inherit under the document, or who are named in it as agents, cannot serve. A longtime friend or neighbor often can. Tell us when you call if you plan to use credible witnesses, so we can confirm they qualify.
The signer is in custody
In a county jail, any inmate identification issued by the sheriff's department is acceptable. In a California state prison, the inmate ID card issued by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is acceptable.
The signer cannot write their name
A signer who cannot sign may sign by mark, such as an X. Two witnesses watch the signer make the mark and sign the document themselves, and one of them writes the signer's name next to the mark. The signer still needs ID or credible witnesses, and still has to be able to communicate with us.
The document needs a thumbprint
For a power of attorney, a deed or another document affecting real property, the signer puts their right thumbprint in the notary's journal. If that thumb is not available, another finger is used. If the signer cannot give any print, the notary records the physical reason in the journal.
Hospital and Nursing Home Signings
California requires the signer to appear in person and acknowledge to the notary that they signed, and the notary must be able to communicate with the signer directly: the Secretary of State's handbook says not to use an interpreter. The signer has to be awake, understand what they are signing, and tell us themselves that they want to sign it.
If a patient cannot communicate with us, or seems confused or pressured, we cannot notarize, and no one else in the room can answer for them. We are not able to judge anyone's legal capacity. If there is any doubt, talk to the patient's doctor and to the attorney who prepared the document before you call us.
Because we are bilingual, a Spanish-speaking patient can talk with us directly in Spanish, which a notary who speaks only English cannot do.
Advance health care directives in a skilled nursing facility
California accepts an advance health care directive that is either notarized or signed by two qualified witnesses. If the patient is in a skilled nursing facility, the directive is not effective unless a patient advocate or ombudsman also signs as a witness, even when it is notarized. Arrange the ombudsman through the facility, which must post the local office's number, or through the California Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, and book us for the same visit.
Powers of attorney
A California power of attorney can be either notarized or signed by two qualified witnesses, but one that will be recorded with the county, as is common for real estate, has to be notarized. The signer gives a thumbprint in our journal. Which kind of power of attorney to use, and what it should say, is a question for an attorney.
Jail and Prison Notary Visits
We notarize for people in custody at county jails and state prisons. Each facility sets its own procedure for professional visits: when they can happen, how a notary is cleared to enter, where the signing takes place and how papers reach the inmate. Call the facility, or ask the inmate's attorney, before you book, and tell us what they said when you call.
Have the facility name, the inmate's full name and booking number, and the documents to be signed ready for that call. The document has to be complete before the visit, because a notary cannot notarize an incomplete document. For ID, inmate identification issued by the sheriff's department or by the state prison system is acceptable while the person is in custody.
We notarize signatures and cannot give advice about a case, a sentence or an immigration matter.
How Much a Mobile Notary Costs
Every mobile visit is quoted before we set out, as two charges:
- The notarial fee, charged for each signature notarized. California law sets the maximum a notary may charge.
- The travel fee, our charge for coming to you, which we tell you before the visit and record separately in our journal.
The travel fee depends on the distance, the time, the day and the type of location: a hospital, a jail or prison, a nursing home or a private home.
What to tell us when you call for a quote
- Where the signer is: the address, or the facility name and room or unit
- How many people are signing
- How many documents there are, and roughly how many signatures need notarizing
- Whether each signer has a current ID, an expired one, or none
- When it has to be done, and any deadline
- Whether the document also needs witnesses or an ombudsman
Mobile Live Scan, or Walk In to Our Office
We also bring Live Scan and ink fingerprint cards to you, on the same terms as a mobile notary visit. See mobile Live Scan for what to bring.
If the signer can travel, a visit to our Van Nuys office saves the travel fee and needs no appointment. Walk in Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, or Saturday and Sunday 10am to 2pm. Our notary services page covers ID rules and the documents we notarize in the office.
Mobile Notary Questions
Can a mobile notary come today?
Yes. Same-day and emergency visits are welcome. Call (818) 285-8568 with the location and the documents, and we will tell you how soon we can be there.
How far will your mobile notary travel?
Roughly 40 miles from our office in Van Nuys, and sometimes further. That covers the San Fernando Valley, Burbank, Glendale, Santa Clarita and much of Los Angeles. If you are not sure whether we reach you, call and ask.
How much does a mobile notary cost?
We quote each visit before we set out. The total is the notarial fee for each signature, which California caps by law, plus a travel fee that depends on the distance, the time, the day and the type of location.
Can you notarize documents in a hospital?
Yes, at the bedside. The patient needs acceptable ID or credible witnesses, must be awake and able to talk with us directly, and must understand the document and want to sign it.
Can you notarize for someone in jail or prison?
Yes. Each facility sets its own rules for professional visits, so check with the facility or the inmate's attorney first. Inmate ID issued by a sheriff's department, or by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, is acceptable identification while the person is in custody.
What if the signer's ID is expired or missing?
An acceptable ID still works if it was issued within the last five years, even after it expires. With no acceptable ID at all, California allows identity to be proven by credible witnesses who personally know the signer and are not named in the document.
What if the signer cannot write their name?
They can sign by mark, such as an X, in front of two witnesses who also sign the document. One witness writes the signer's name next to the mark. The signer still has to be identified and able to communicate with us.
Can a family member sign for the patient?
We notarize the signature of the person in front of us who signs. Whether someone else may sign on a patient's behalf depends on the document and on that person's legal authority, such as a power of attorney or a conservatorship. Ask the attorney or the party receiving the document before you book.
Does an advance health care directive need to be notarized?
California accepts either notarization or two qualified witnesses. If the patient is in a skilled nursing facility, a patient advocate or ombudsman must also sign as a witness, even when the directive is notarized. Arrange that through the facility before our visit.
Can you notarize over a video call?
No. California law requires the signer to appear in person before the notary, and remote online notarization is not yet available in California.
What should I tell you when I call for a quote?
Where the signer is, how many people are signing, how many documents and signatures there are, whether each signer has ID, and when it has to be done.
Do you offer mobile notary service in Spanish?
Yes, we are bilingual. A notary has to communicate with the signer directly rather than through an interpreter, so a Spanish-speaking signer can talk with us in Spanish. Esta página en español.
Can you tell me which document I need?
No. Print It is not a law firm and cannot give legal advice or choose or prepare documents. The attorney, agency, bank or person asking for the document can tell you what it should be.
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14545 Friar St Ste 100, Van Nuys, CA 91411
Open 7 days a week
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 2pm
Walk-ins welcome, or book a time
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 2pm
Walk-ins welcome, or book a time
A short drive from Sherman Oaks, North Hollywood, Encino and Panorama City.