Documents that have Blank Spaces

Over time, a notary public will encounter some difficult moments. An example of one is when you are presented with documents that have blank spaces. If you are a new notary, you need to know how to handle this situation. First off, under no circumstances do you want to provide a notarial seal to such a document. Feel free to read our blog on the Notary Official Seal.

This is why. This blank space could easily be filled-in at some point in the future. Doing so can alter the entire intent of the document. As a result, the possibility for fraud becomes evident. This can subject you to significant liability. You may ask yourself what someone could write in a blank space. Well, just about anything. So, your smart course is to refuse notary service. You’ll certainly want to do this in a professional manner. The National Notary Association has a good article on this, as well.

This is of course another resolution. Let’s remember that it is the client’s responsibility to present you with an instrument that is finalized. So, he or she could complete the blank area in order to assure that the instrument is complete. Should they do so, the instrument would then be complete and set to be notarized. But, you are not allowed to advise them as to what they need to enter into the blank space. Please read our article about a Personal Appearance Before a Notary.

Handling Questionable Documents

By blank spaces, we are not referencing the area specified for your notary text. Nor are we referencing any space reserved for the client’s signature.

Another thing to do is to make sure all the pages are there. So, you want to search for any missing pages. If you fail to take suitable measures before applying your seal, you could put yourself in jeopardy of being exposed to serious liability.

Simply put, you must shield yourself.  Documents that have blank spaces are not the only area to concern yourself with. The best way to shield one self is to have a complete grasp of the Notary Law in the State where you are commissioned. To many of you, this may seem elementary. But what happens to us, as humans, is that after a period of time we may get complacent. So, we need to take a proactive approach because the consequences can be too great. If we develop good habits and take a “best practices” approach, we should avoid the pitfalls that could place us in a liability situation.

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