Do’s and Don’t

There are certain limitations to a notary public’s powers. To this extent, the notary must act within the boundaries of their role. Below is a short list of some of those boundaries.

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Limitations of notaries:

• A notary may not notarize any document that their spouse or civil partner is a party to or any document that the notary or their spouse or civil partner has any beneficial interest, no matter how small. HRS456-14(b)
• Notaries should never notarize their own signature
• A notary should judge if the task they are being asked to perform is a practice of law or of a notary public.
• Only a licensed attorney is permitted to practice of law. This includes providing legal advice or preparing of legal documents such as a power of attorney, contract, or other legal documents.