Do you need to have your signature on a document notarized?

During regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., exclusive of holidays), the Town of Leesburg offers free notary services at Town Hall (25 West Market Street). Please call the Town Hall Receptionist at 703-777-2420 to ensure that a notary will be available when you arrive.

If you have three (3) or more documents that need to be notarized, you must call to reserve your appointment. Appointments for three (3) or more documents are only available between 12-1 p.m. on weekdays, exclusive of Town holidays.

Please note that if a document requires that witnesses be present when the document is signed, the individual must provide their own witnesses. Virginia codified law for notaries defines a "credible witness" as an honest, reliable, and impartial person who personally knows an individual appearing before a notary and takes an oath or affirmation from the notary to confirm that individual's identity. Town staff is not able to act as witnesses for documents to be signed.

Identification Requirements

To determine the identity of any person whose identity is the subject of the notarial act, the notary must examine one or more of the following unexpired documents:

• A United States passport book
• A United States passport card
• A certificate of United States citizenship
• A certificate of naturalization
• A foreign passport
• An alien registration card with photograph
• A state-issued driver's license
• A state-issued identification card
• A United States military ID card

Documents That the Town of Leesburg Cannot Notarize

• Vital records (birth, death, marriage, divorce, single status)*
• Real estate transactions
• Titles
• Deeds
• I-9 forms
• Depositions
• Gun sales
• Virginia-issued Circuit Court documents*
• Virginia State Corporation Commission-issued documents*
• Any documents requiring verification of facts
• Any documents in a language other than English
• Post- or pre-dated documents

*Documents issued by a Virginia Circuit Court, Virginia Department of Health's Office of Vital Records, or the State Corporation Commission must be notarized and sealed by the courts.

Town notaries cannot:

• Provide legal advice or explain the legality of a document.
• Tell you which type of notarization is required.
• Prepare or complete documents on your behalf.
• Recommend changes to a document or determine whether it is legally sufficient.
• Act as witnesses on a document that requires notarization

If you have questions about your document or the type of notarization required, contact the person or organization requesting the document or consult an attorney.

A Town notary may decline to perform a notarization when required or permitted by Virginia law or Town policy, including when:

• The signer does not personally appear before the notary.
• The signer does not have proper identification.
• The signer does not appear to understand the document or to be acting voluntarily.
• The document is incomplete or contains blank spaces that could be completed after notarization.
• The requested notarization would violate Virginia law or Town policy.