Notary Public

Call 847-663-1234 to confirm that a Notary is available before you come. Please call to schedule an appointment for documents requiring more than 25 notary stamps.

Before you arrive:

• Be sure to review all the terms and requirements outlined in your document thoroughly before coming in for notarization
• Ensure that if your document requires witnesses, that they meet the requirements outlined in the document’s clauses. Witnesses cannot be recruited from library staff or patrons
• Complete all fields in your document, except for the signature panel prior to coming in

What to bring with you:

• Current ID issued by a U.S. state or the U.S. Federal Government, including driver’s license, state ID card, military ID, or U.S. Passport
• Completed document with all applicable blanks filled out except the signature
• Any required witnesses – Library staff cannot serve as witnesses, and you may not solicit library patrons to be witnesses

We cannot notarize the following:

• Documents of conveyance of real estate, mortgages, other real estate loans, documents or transactions or property transfers including but not limited to refinancing or other types of real estate loans, purchases, sales, and beneficial interests in land trusts and deeds
• Documents that do not contain notary language or a notary certificate
• Estate planning documents, including wills or trusts, including living wills, powers of attorney (financial and medical), or other similar instruments
• Apostilles
• Documents from foreign countries
• Documents not in the English language
• Visa or immigration paperwork
• County documents (vital records, marriage and divorce records, citizenship and naturalization documents) – you must obtain a Certified Copy from the issuing agency
• A “certified copy” (verification of a copy of an original document)
• I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification forms

Library notaries will:

• Adhere to Illinois’ notary laws
• Verify the signature of your document, NOT the content
• Not provide legal advice or counseling related to the documents to be notarized
• Decline to notarize if the requestor, document, or circumstance raises ambiguity, doubt, or uncertainty from the library’s perspective
• Not be permitted to use the services of a translator to communicate with a notarial services patron

Find the Notary Public Policy 3.32 on the Policies webpage.