A company cannot walk into a notary office, produce a driver’s licence, and sign something. Every business notarization is really an individual notarization wearing a corporate hat — and almost everything that goes wrong with them follows from misunderstanding that.
The notary identifies a person, not an entity
Whatever the document says, the notarial certificate records that a named human being appeared, was identified from acceptable identification, and signed.
| Question | Notary verifies it? |
|---|---|
| Who is the individual in front of me? | Yes |
| Did they sign willingly? | Yes |
| Does the company exist? | No |
| Is this person authorised to bind it? | No |
| Is the document legally effective? | No |
| Will the recipient accept it? | No |
People find the third and fourth rows surprising, but they follow directly from what a notarial act is. The notary is a witness to identity and signature — not a registrar, and not a lawyer.
How to sign in representative capacity
Sign your own name, then state the capacity in which you are signing and the entity you are signing for.
| Approach | Correct? |
|---|---|
| Your signature, then ‘Member, Example Holdings LLC’ | Yes |
| Your signature, then ‘President, Example Inc.’ | Yes |
| Your signature, then ‘Authorized Agent, Example LP’ | Yes |
| The company name alone, in your handwriting | No |
| Your signature with no capacity stated | Ambiguous — may bind you personally |
| Someone else signing your name for you | No, without proper authority |
The middle failure is the expensive one. Signing your own name with no stated capacity can leave it unclear whether the company is bound or you are personally. That is a question that only ever gets asked when something has already gone wrong.
Authority is somebody else’s problem
This trips up people who assume the notary is checking credentials.
Whether you actually have authority to sign for the entity is a matter for whoever relies on the document. Banks, title companies and counterparties frequently ask for a corporate resolution, an operating agreement, or a certificate of good standing — and they ask for it because the notarization does not answer their question.
So the sequence that works is: ask the recipient what they require, gather it, then attend the notary. Doing it the other way round means signing twice.
Documents that commonly need notarizing
| Document | Usually notarized? |
|---|---|
| Commercial lease | Often, particularly if it is to be recorded |
| Deed transferring business property | Yes — required for recording |
| Loan and security documents | Usually, at the lender’s requirement |
| Corporate resolutions | Sometimes, depending on the recipient |
| Vehicle titles held in a company name | Yes — always, in Pennsylvania |
| Affidavits and sworn statements | Yes |
| Contracts between businesses | Only where the parties or a recipient require it |
Company-owned vehicles are worth a specific note. A title held in a business name still requires the signature to be notarized like any other Pennsylvania transfer, and the person signing does so in representative capacity. The general rules are in why Pennsylvania requires a notary on car titles, and we can handle the transfer itself through our title transfer service.
What to bring
- Your own government photo identification — business filings do not identify you personally
- The complete document, unsigned
- Your exact title as it appears in the company records
- The entity’s full legal name, spelled as it is registered
- Any authority documents the recipient asked for
- Every additional signer, each with their own identification
Get the legal name right. “Example Holdings LLC” and “Example Holdings, L.L.C.” are not interchangeable in a document that a bank will scrutinise, and the notary is not going to catch a discrepancy in a name they have no way to verify.
Sole traders and partnerships
Not every business is an entity. If you trade as yourself under a fictitious name, there is no separate legal person to sign for — you are the business.
In that case you sign your own name. Adding the trading name after it is fine where the document uses it, but the signature that matters is yours, and the notarial certificate identifies you exactly as it would on a personal document.
Partnerships sit in between. A general partner usually signs in that capacity, and where several partners are required to sign, each one is a separate signer who must appear and be identified individually. They do not all have to attend at the same time.
Multiple entities, multiple acts
If you sign for two companies on the same afternoon, that is two notarial acts. Each is charged separately under Pennsylvania’s capped schedule — $5 for the first individual on each, with $2 for each additional name on the same document. The full schedule is in what a Pennsylvania notary is allowed to charge.
What a notary still cannot do
The boundaries are the same as for any document, and business owners test them more than most.
- Draft or amend the agreement
- Advise whether the terms are sensible
- Explain what a clause means
- Confirm that you have authority to sign
- Notarize a document with blanks still in it
Those are questions for a lawyer or an accountant. The line is the same one set out in notary public versus notario público in Pennsylvania.
We notarize business documents alongside personal ones at our Bethlehem office, and can usually take walk-ins for a single signer. Pennsylvania business registrations are administered by the Department of State’s business programmes.
Frequently asked questions
Can a notary notarize a document for my LLC?
A notary notarizes the signature of the person signing on the company’s behalf. The notarial certificate identifies you as an individual — the entity itself cannot appear before a notary or be identified by one.
How do I sign on behalf of a company?
Sign your own name, then state your title and the entity — for example, your signature followed by ‘Member, Example Holdings LLC’. Signing only the company name, or only your own name with no capacity stated, causes problems later.
Does the notary check that I have authority to sign?
No. A notary verifies identity, not authority. Confirming that you are entitled to bind the company is the responsibility of whoever is relying on the document — typically a bank, a title company, or the other party.
Do I need a corporate resolution?
Not for the notarization itself. The recipient may well require one, particularly banks and title companies, so ask them before the appointment rather than after the document has been signed.
What identification do I bring?
Your own current government-issued photo identification bearing your signature. Business registration documents do not identify you personally and cannot substitute for personal identification.
Can one person be notarized for several companies?
Yes. If you sign for more than one entity, each signature is a separate notarial act in its own capacity — and each is charged separately under the capped fee schedule.
Signing for your business?
Bring your own photo ID, the unsigned document, and your exact title. Call ahead if several signers need to attend. Hablamos Español.