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Do Banks Have Their Own Notary to Notarize Documents?

If your local bank notarizes documents, it’s not always convenient. Most banks operate from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with limited weekend hours, making notarization a hassle to fit into your schedule.
Pat Kinsel
November 28, 2016
Updated Jun 11, 2024
3 min

It is commonly believed that banks notarize documents, but we can tell you firsthand that the notary landscape is changing and banks are increasingly refusing to serve walk-ins.

Banks are constantly looking for ways to cut costs and drive efficiencies in their branches. Notary services were once considered a valuable offering to current and potential customers, but it is increasingly seen as an expensive and unnecessary product. Banks would rather their employees focus on their core, profit-earning tasks: opening accounts, assisting customer transactions, and selling their products.

As a result, fewer banks notarize documents. Some banks are limiting the service to existing customers or to only bank-related documents.

Banking on Online Notarization

Even if your local bank notarizes documents, it’s not necessarily convenient. If both you and the bank do business from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., it’s on you to fit within the bank’s schedule, not the other way around. Visiting a notary may be more than just a simple inconvenience; it may come at personal or professional cost to you.

Notarize eliminates this hassle by allowing you to connect with a notary public instantly online. You can now have your notary needs met no matter your time or place. Our process takes, on average, less than five minutes to complete, and Notarize is online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

How Does Notarize Work?

We work with your schedule, not the other way around. To get your document notarized, simply Download the Notarize Mobile App, or Connect with a Notary Public Online and follow these steps:

  1. Upload any document, but do not sign it before uploading it. You must sign before the notary public.
  2. Fill out the document using Notarize’s digital tools.
  3. Validate your identity.
  4. When ready, you’ll be prompted to connect in a live video call with a commissioned electronic notary public in less than three minutes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  5. Sign using your computer, iPhone, or Android device as the notary public watches over live video.
  6. Wait as the notary public notarizes your document online. The average wait time is about 60 seconds.
  7. You’re done! Download your notarized PDF.

You can call around or search the web for a notary within driving distance, or you can notarize your documents from the comfort of your couch. The Notarize app holds a 4.9 out of 5 rating in the iOS App Store with over 2,000 reviews, and a 9.4 out of 10 rating on Trustpilot with over 450 reviews.

Ready to get your documents notarized? Visit Notarize to get started. Our notaries won’t even know you’re still in your pajamas.

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