LetterAgent
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A notarized letter is a letter you sign in front of a licensed notary public, who checks your identity, watches you sign, and then stamps and signs the document as proof that the signing happened. The notary does not approve what the letter says or check that its claims are true.
Only three things, and the distinction matters. First, that you are who you claim to be, usually shown with government photo identification. Second, that you signed willingly and appeared to understand what you were signing. Third, that the signature on the page is yours, made in the notary's presence. A notary is a witness with a public commission, not a judge of the letter's contents. A notarized letter can still contain false statements; notarization only makes it harder to deny later that you signed it.
That is why banks, courts, and government offices ask for notarization on documents where identity or consent might later be disputed: sworn statements, authorizations, property transfers, and permission letters. The stamp creates a record. Most notaries keep a journal entry with the date, the type of document, and the form of identification shown, so the signing can be traced years later.
A witness is an ordinary person who watches you sign and then signs to confirm it. A notary is a state or province appointed official whose seal carries legal weight on its own. In practice, a witness signature says "someone saw this." A notary seal says "a commissioned official verified identity and watched this, and kept a record." Some recipients accept either. Others, especially courts and land registries, accept only notarization. If a letter asks for a "notarized" signature, a witness alone will not satisfy it.
| Feature | Witness signature | Notarized signature |
|---|---|---|
| Who signs | Any adult, usually not a party to the letter | A commissioned notary public |
| Identity check | Informal, often none | Government photo ID, checked and logged |
| Seal or stamp | None | Official seal plus journal entry |
| Accepted by courts | Sometimes | Usually, where notarization is required |
No, and this is the mistake that wastes the most appointments. Bring the letter unsigned. The notary must watch you sign, so a letter signed at home usually has to be reprinted and signed again in the office. Bring identification, and bring a second copy if you want one stamped for your own records. Some notaries also ask you to raise your hand and swear or affirm that the contents are true, which turns the letter into a sworn statement. If the letter includes a sworn statement section, read it before the appointment, because you will be confirming it out loud.
In the United States, banks, law offices, shipping stores, and some libraries offer notary services, and many states cap the fee per signature by law. In Canada, lawyers, notaries public (in British Columbia, a distinct profession), and commissioners of oaths fill a similar role, though a commissioner of oaths is not always the same as a notary for cross-border use. Mobile notaries travel to homes and offices for a travel fee on top of the signing fee. Remote online notarization, done over video, is legal in many US states but is not accepted everywhere, so check with the recipient before choosing it.
LetterAgent prints and mails letters, but it cannot notarize one for you, because notarization requires you to sign in front of the notary in person or on an approved video call. The practical route is to get the letter notarized first, then mail the signed original. If you need a mailed copy for your records, keep a photocopy before you send the original, since the recipient keeps the notarized version. LetterAgent can mail a letter to any US or Canadian address: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and it is printed and mailed on standard 8.5 by 11 inch paper in a double-window envelope.
Ready to mail it? Send your letter with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and it is printed and mailed.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
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