As a notary public you cannot notarize a person’s signature unless that person personally appears to you. People often offer a death certificate as proof that the named owner is no longer alive, but that is not sufficient for a notary to use as a basis for notarization. If the person does not have authority from a court to act as Personal Representative, or Administrator/Executor for the estate, you will not be able to notarize the title on behalf of the deceased person. You should refer the person to the county treasurer’s office or the Title & Registration Bureau for assistance.
When the owner of the vehicle is a business, Motor Vehicle Services (MVS) no longer requires that the title be notarized. The person signing on behalf of the business must print the name of the business on line one of the "Seller's Section" and sign their name and the capacity in which they are signing (owner, president, member, etc.) on the signature line. Questions should be directed to the County Treasurer's office or MVS at 406- 444-3933.
In addition to identifying the person who is in your presence, you must also determine that the person appearing before you has been authorized to act for the named individual and that he or she is authorized to sign that particular document. Generally speaking, you should ask to see the original, or a certified copy, of the Power of Attorney
Because a Power of Attorney automatically terminates on the death of the principal, you must determine before agreeing to notarize on the basis of a POA that the person who is named on the document being notarized is still alive. If the answer is no, you may not go forward with the notarization.
You will enter the name of the person who actually signed the document, the capacity in which it was signed, and, finally, the name of the person who was named in the document. For example:
[Signed before me by] Mary Smith as Attorney-in-Fact for John Smith.
See page 26 of the Montana Notary Public Handbook for more information.
In addition to identifying the person who is in your presence, you must also determine that the person appearing before you has been authorized to act for the named individual and that he or she is authorized to sign that particular document. Generally speaking, you should ask to see the original, or a certified copy, of the court document naming the person as Personal Representative, Administrator, or Executor.
You will enter the name of the person who actually signed the document, the capacity in which it was signed, and, finally, the name of the person who was named in the document. For example:
[Signed before me by] Mary Smith as Personal Representative for John Smith
See page 26 of the Montana Notary Public Handbook for more information.
Name changes are not unusual; your ability to complete the notarization is dependent upon your ability to properly identify the person appearing before you as the person named in the document. The fundamental requirement is that the person must print and sign his/her name just as it appears on the title. And you have to identify them under that name.
If the person has a new ID in the new name, they would also have to produce some kind of appropriate documentation of the name change – think marriage license, divorce decree, or name change decree – some document that has both names on it. If they still have an old ID that meets the requirements for satisfactory evidence (government issued, pictured, current or expired less than three years) you may use that as the ID.
Caution! On Montana motor vehicle titles all appearances of the seller’s name must match the name printed on the top of the title. Do not use “f/k/a” or “a/k/a” and a different name or the title will not be accepted.
As a notary, you cannot change or correct a misspelling on a motor vehicle title. You should direct the person to the county treasurer’s office or the Title & Registration Bureau for assistance with this issue.
You can have the person sign his/her name again in front of you in the space provided. The signer should NOT cross out the first signature, but simply repeat the signature above or beside the one already on the document. The seller should complete an MV100, Statement of Fact, explaining that he/she initially signed before appearing to the notary and then signed again in front of the notary.
What do you do when…
If a second notarial block is needed for subsequent signers, the notary may hand write a complete notarial block on the document, if there is room, usually in the lienholder section of the title. If there is not enough room or if you prefer to use a loose certificate, you must use the loose certificate designed specifically for Montana titles Be sure to indicate on the title that the “Notarization for __________________ is attached.” And also note in your journal that you used a loose certificate.
Never use a stick-on pre-printed labels for Montana motor vehicle titles – they will be rejected by the county treasurer or the Vehicle Services Bureau.
Montana motor vehicle titles clearly instruct the signer to print his/her name exactly as shown. If the printed name is not the same as shown you should have the person line through the incorrect name, initial it and print his/her name again in the space provided. The seller should complete and MV100, Statement of Fact, explaining that he/she initially printed his/her name incorrectly and then corrected it.
You simply notarize the signature of the person appearing to you at that time. When you enter the name of the person for whom you are performing the notarization, it is a good practice to add “(only)” after the name so that another person can’t insert the other owner’s name, making it appear that you witnessed more than one person’s signature. Be sure to note in your journal that you only notarized for one of the listed owners.
It happens. When you make a mistake on a motor vehicle title, line through the incorrect information, initial it and enter the correct information. Then you must complete an MV 100 – Statement of Fact, explaining what you did and that you corrected it “with no fraud intended.”
Most states (45 of them!) do not require a notarized signature on a title. If your customer presents a title from one of these states, you should not attempt to add a notarial certificate on or to the title. Below is a list of the states that do not require notarization of their titles.
NON-NOTARY TITLE STATES
Alabama | Idaho | Missouri | South Dakota |
Alaska | Illinois | Nebraska | Tennessee |
Arkansas | Indiana | Nevada | Texas |
California | Iowa | New Hampshire | Utah |
Colorado | Kansas | New Jersey | Vermont |
Connecticut | Maine | New Mexico | Virginia |
Delaware | Maryland | New York | Washington |
Dist. Of Columbia | Massachusetts | North Dakota | West Virginia |
Florida | Michigan | Oregon | Wisconsin |
Georgia | Minnesota | Rhode Island | |
Hawaii | Mississippi | South Carolina |
The buyer does not have to be present. Montana motor vehicle titles only require the seller’s signature be notarized.
The fact that there may or may not be a lien on a title has no bearing on your ability to notarize the owner’s signature. Go for it.