The main role of a Notary Public in Virginia is to verify the identity of individuals signing documents and ensure that they are signing willingly and under no duress.
To be eligible, an applicant must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident and reside in Virginia or be regularly employed in the state.
A notary should avoid notarizing documents where they have a direct financial or beneficial interest or where their impartiality might be questioned.
A Virginia Notary Public is commissioned for a term of 4 years, after which they must renew their commission to continue serving.
A Virginia Notary Public must use an official notarial seal for all notarizations and maintain a journal of their notarial acts to ensure proper record-keeping.
