[teelaherman]

I'm going through the steps to adopt and I came across the medical form. It says it has to be notarized? Please forgive my stupidity, but HOW would I go about that? Do I have to have a notary meet me at the doctor to see the doctor sign it? Or is she/he going to notarize it saying that I claim it is correct and not altered? I'm so lost on the little things like this. Thanks for your help.

[Mykidsmom]

Hi,

For me there was someone in the doctors building that was a notary. Maybe call your doctor's office and find out if their is a notary close by that is familiar with the doctor's signature. We are in a small town area. If you are in a big city and have a multiple doctor centralized area I bet they have a notary. I too was concerned this would be a problem, it turned out to be no big deal.

[jmchowat]

Yes, most Dr's offices will have someone that can notarize documents. As a thought, I think it costs about $50 to become a notary (at least in our State). If you are just starting out, it's worth paying for a friend to get a notary licence so they can notarize things for you.

[teelaherman]

thank you so much! Also, that is a great idea about the notary. I better start thinking of who to trick into helping me! haha

[nipperd]

Also you can check on-line for traveling notaries in your area. They will meet you anywhere, like your Dr's office to perform a notarization.

[randloar]

A woman I work with is a notary, and she met me at the docs office and notarized his signature right there (small town, docs office doesn't have a notary), but they let me schedule our appt close to lunch and she just swung by........
Sometimes we have to get creative on these requirements!!

[teelaherman]

great ideas! Thank you everyone

[califmom]

I am a notary. When a notary stamps and signs your documents, he/she is verifying that the signer is who they say they are. They verify this by checking the i.d. of the signer and comparing the name to the name on the document. You must have current photo i.d. to be verified by the notary.

After all your documents are notarized, you will send them to the Secretary of State in your state to have them apostilled. This is a stamp that the state puts on your documents verifying that the notary is a commissioned notary, thus telling the adoption bureaucracy in Ukraine that your documents are valid.

As noted below, it is very convenient to have a friend who is a notary. Ensure that your notary's commission does not expire for at least 18 months so that your documents are up-to-date when youi get to Ukraine.

Good luck and Godspeed in your journey!

[Laurie Burney]

just take it to the notary (lawyer) and he/she will sign it as legit

[sak9645]

Most larger physician practices have notaries on staff to handle such matters.

If your doctor practices in a big office building, there will probably be notaries in some of the doctors' offices, as well as in places like law offices, real estate offices, banks, and insurance companies that are in the building. You can probably get one of the notaries to come to the doctor's office on his/her lunch break, and sometimes the doctor will be willing to go to the notary's office.

Most doctors have hospital privileges. Hospitals almost always have notaries on staff. If the doctors go to make rounds during normal business hours, they can take the documents with them and get them notarized there.

Also, most cities have traveling notaries. They will meet you at any location you specify, for a fee. Look in your phone book or talk to a local mortgage company. A lot of mortgage companies use notaries to do closings at people's homes.

Sharon

[califmom]

Please disregard Laura Burney's post above: "just take it to the notary (lawyer) and he/she will sign it as legit".

I am a notary married to a lawyer. We adopted from Ukraine in 2005. There are 2 problems with this post:
1) In the United States, notaries are not lawyers. Notaries serve the legal purpose of verifying the identities of signatories to documents.

2) A lawyer or a notary cannot and legally should not "sign it as legit" unless they are willing to put their career, malpractice insurance, and bond on the line. A document that is to be notarized must be signed in the presence of the notary who verifies the identification of the signer.

Ordinarily I do not post unless I have direct factual knowledge of the subject or I think my opinion might have value to others. I suggest others do the same and not mislead someone looking for assistance.

[Laurie Burney]

Forgive forgive...
that is the system in Canada...i should have assumed i was 'speaking' to people in the US. My apologies.
Laurie