| |

Hospitals and Witnesses

ByEditor

Alert!

Most Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted but there are many different rules for visitation. These rules vary greatly by facility so please check with the facility before scheduling an appointment.

Alert

Important Information

If new restrictions are implemented we may not have a notary available who is willing to “mask up”, even with the premium rate, so please check ahead.

Need a notary and you’re in the hospital?

It’s always difficult when you need a notary at a hospital. You typically have an ill relative and important documents to be signed.  Most documents don’t require both a notary and witnesses but some do.

If you need a notary and witnesses, the hospital may not allow their employees (this includes chaplains, volunteers and staff) to be either. More and more hospital employees are not allowed to notarize financial and/or estate type documents.

I can’t mention this enough…

It’s stressful for everyone, especially the patient, when they think everything is set and ready to go but we have to stop and get witnesses at the last minute. This happened again earlier today.

Hospitals and health facilities should make everyone aware of their rules. They should consider giving the patient and/or family a list of documents they aren’t allowed to witness.

Notary Words

Similar Posts

  • The Signer Must Be Competent!

    Along with my earlier discussion about the signer being present, the signer must also be competent. A caller recently requested that I go to a nursing home where his elderly father was living. He indicated that his step-brother was controlling his father’s stuff against his (the father’s) wishes. He said that his father had a…

  • Scheduling and Fee Update

    Travel Fees As a mobile notary, we spend a lot of time waiting.  We wait for witnesses, doctors, staff and numerous other professionals who are not ready at the scheduled time. Our time is important too so effective immediately, we have a 1 hour minimum time and travel fee. We are a mobile notary service…

  • The Signer Must Be Present!

    If you need a notary to acknowledge your identity or take your sworn statement, that means that you (the signer) must be present and present proper and current ID at the time of the signing. I cannot notarize a document if the person whose name is on that document isn’t present. So unless you just…

  • Notary Updates

    May a notary public determine which type of notarial certificate should be attached to a document? No. A notary public who is not an attorney should only complete a notarial certificate which is already on the document, or type or attach a certificate of the maker’s choosing. If a notary public is presented with a…

  • The signer is my client.

    As a mobile notary, I spend a lot of time in hospitals, nursing homes and private homes. Except for the rare call where someone needs a notary because they work at home or are otherwise unable to leave their home, most calls are because somebody is really ill and a relative or friend is attempting…