• A notary public is licensed to witness signatures.signing a contract image by William Berry from Fotolia.com
  
  A notary public is an individual who is licensed to witness signatures on documents. Other documents are sometimes notarized when the person whose signature is required is unable to present the documents in person. A notary public often charges a fee for theservice. However, many institutions have notaries public on staff to handle any notarizing needs. In Washington, to become a notary public you must meet certain criteria and follow the rules set forth by the Washington State Department of Licensing.
  
  

Minimum Age

• In order to be certified as a notary public in Washington applicants must be at least 18 years old.
  
  

Residency

• Applicants must live in Washington or in an adjacent state or work in Washington on a regular basis.
  
  

English Proficiency

• Applicants must be proficient in both written and spoken English.
  
  

Application

• If applicants meet the age, residency and language requirements they must fill out a Notary Public Appointment application found at the Washington State Department of Licensing website and pay the $30 processing fee (March 2010): http://www.dol.wa.gov/business/notary/nrequirements.html
  The application can be denied if the applicant has ever been guilty of professional misconduct.
  If accepted, the appointment is valid for four years, at which point the notary must reapply for certification.
  
  

Bond

• Appointment to a position as a notary public in Washington is contingent on the applicant also obtaining and submitting a $10,000 surety bond. Surety bonds are purchased from bonding companies or insurance companies and exist to protect the government in case of illegal or fraudulent notarizing. Furthermore, anyone who notarizes a document knowing that the information contained therein is false or anyone who notarizes a document who is not legally certified is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
  
  

Fees

• In Washington the maximum fee a notary public can charge for her services is $10 per act. If the notary must travel in order to witness a signature or oath the notary may pass the cost of the travel onto the customer, but only if the notary informs the customer in advance of the extra fee.