Saturday, March 23, 2013

Signatures and notarization of power of attorney

Signatures and notarization

In order for a power of attorney to be a legal document it must be signed and dated at a minimum by the principal.This alone, however, is not usually considered sufficient if the legality of the document is ever challenged by a third party. Having the document reviewed and signed (and often stamped) by a notary public increases the likelihood of withstanding such a challenge.[citation needed] However, such notarization is not always necessary for such a document to be considered legal — in California and in South Carolina a power of attorney is considered legally valid by the state if it is signed by the principal, by the agent, and then either by two witnesses OR by a single notary public in Arizona and Illinois, a power of attorney requires notarization and the signature of at least one witness. Each state has a specific process and it is important to confirm the most recent version.

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