Over 42,000 eligible residents or
employees in West Virginia currently hold notary public commissions. The Secretary of State administers the application
process, and the Governor issues notary public commissions for a term
of ten years.
The authority of a notary public is
generally limited to acknowledging the signature of a person to a
document or to an oath signed within the state. The role
of the notary is to assure that the signature on a document is the
true signature of the person he or she claims to be. A notary can
be held financially responsible if fraud occurs because of the
notary's improper notarization.
A person whose work requires that
acknowledgments or oaths be notarized outside West Virginia for
recording in the state, or a person who has no residence or business
address in the state but must notarize documents here may apply to
become a Commissioner of West
Virginia.
If you are a notary or a person trying to obtain a
proper notarization on a document, we urge you to review the practice
handbook and the FAQs to help avoid future problems with your
documents.
