Most documents that need notarization are important and many should be stored securely after they have been executed.
I once received a call from a man in an absolute panic. He was in the middle of a messy domestic dispute and his former girlfriend had left with his power of attorney document. He was desperately calling every notary in the area that might have notarized it the previous summer. He was hoping the notary had retained a copy. Unfortunately for him, notaries do not retain copies of the documents they execute. We do maintain detailed records related to the notarization, but that wouldn’t have been much help in this case.
According to financial experts, important documents like wills, trusts and powers of attorney should be stored in a secure location, like a safe-deposit box. A copy should be given to the attorney or executor of the estate and an extra copy should be kept at home for ease of reference.
For more information on how long to keep specific documents or where to store them, click here.
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When you say copies of documents, would a copy of the original that is printed from a desktop copier be sufficient
There is no standard procedure for copying a notarized document. It can certainly be scanned and printed on a desktop copier. Some notarized documents are only valid if they are the original, but for record keeping purposes, a copy of a notarized document is usually acceptable. If a notarized document is requested, obtain guidance from the receiving party/agency as to whether the original is required or if a copy would be sufficient.
How do you locate a notary that I signed as a witness to a will for a now deceased person.. the daughter took the will and will not produce it for the benefit of the deceased beneficiaries.. she is attempting to steal the benefits the deceased mother for her own personal gain..
The notary will not have a copy of the Will that was witnessed. If other estate planning documents were notarized at the same appointment, you may be able to identify the notary that way. The Will is usually witnessed by two impartial witnesses. If the notary was one, a neighbor or family friend might have been the other, which would be worth investigating.
My fiance gave me a copy of his will showing me that he put me in it but his daughter took it from our bedroom on the day he passed away. Now she won’t give it back and won’t let me have a copy of it. She read the will that said he’d given me his house and looked at me said that house is staying in the family. Was in shock over Clayton’s passing not thinking I said nothing. What do I do now?
You should seek the legal advice of an estate attorney. They will be able to explain your options.
my dad had a will in 2007 and in in 2017 a document made in 2012 was filed with the court over a power of attorney over my dad’s estate and in 2020 when he died I was not aware of the events or how the process of how the law proceeds in matters of one’s estate informal or formal so I was in contact with my brothers and after a full year i was starting to really question and from advice from a friend I contact the courts and found out that al court documents were being sent to the wrong address in hopes as a beneficiary could not abject to any of the proceedings and so after finally seeing the will and the first and second codicil it left me out of the will and gave millions to my brothers and so reached out and fount out this second codicil was made same date of the power of attorney i reached out to the notary and she states she was not required to keep such records so no way to validate the second codicil. and so, my question is there a way to get a valid record of what was notarized back in 2012.
Unfortunately, the notary does not keep a copy of the document being notarized. The only record is the information in their journal, if their state requires they maintain one.
What happens to the Notary’s journals after they pass away?
When a notary public resigns their commission, allows it to lapse without renewal, or passes away, their notary journals are to be delivered to the county where their oath of office is on file. In the case of death, the personal representative of the deceased should also promptly notify the Secretary of State of the notary public’s death.