Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth Kay Coles James

Notarized Requirements

The Notary Requirements

seal icon

Documents that cannot be notarized

Documents issued by a Virginia Circuit Court, Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Vital Records, or the State Corporation Commission cannot be notarized. No exceptions. Instead, they are required to be issued within the past 12 months. 

Examples of those documents are:

  • Vital Records (birth, death, marriage, divorce, single status)
  • Marriage records issued by a Virginia Circuit Court (You must ask for a triple seal to be attached to your marriage record. It will be returned if there is no triple seal.)
  • Virginia issued circuit court documents (divorce decree, name change, single status)
  • Virginia State Corporation Commission issued documents
notary icon

Documents that need to be notarized

Several examples are included below. This is not an exhaustive list of documents requiring notarization. If you are unsure, contact the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth:

  • Powers of Attorney (POA)
  • School transcripts/ Diplomas
  • Translations
  • Virginia issued background checks

Important information to ensure your document was notarized properly:

  • In order for your document to be authenticated, seven items are required from the notary. That list can be found here.
  • Verify your notaries name here. It must match our records exactly.
  • Documents in different languages are accepted but the notarization must be in English.