BajaNomad

U.S. notary public in Baja?

mexijon - 4-25-2011 at 12:28 PM

Enquiring on behalf of a friend, is there a U.S. notary public in Baja, hopefully around the Mulege area?
Any help or info would be appreciated.

DENNIS - 4-25-2011 at 12:42 PM

If there is, they probably don't advertise it. Good luck.

Woooosh - 4-25-2011 at 12:48 PM

I do believe Notary powers stop at the border and can't be done outside the USA. Maybe someone creative and local to you has an office stateside, but as Dennis said you won't see flyers.

DENNIS - 4-25-2011 at 12:52 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Woooosh
I do believe Notary powers stop at the border and can't be done outside the USA. Maybe someone creative and local to you has an office stateside, but as Dennis said you won't see flyers.


I've known of Notarys on vacation to offer their services. It's not all that common, but I wish one was here right now. It would save me a trip to AAA.

American Notary

SkyMedBarbara - 4-25-2011 at 01:05 PM

An American Notary can ONLY notarize papers in the STATE they have the notary seal and authorization in. In a few cases they can notarize papers in states adjoining, if they work in them with special authorization. Anything else is illegal and they would be subject to loosing their notary status in USA. Cabo san Lucas has an American Consulate and there they can notarize papers.

longlegsinlapaz - 4-25-2011 at 01:05 PM

The US Consulates have legal power to notarize things....but that means either TJ or Cabo & it's spendy!! Someone on BN (dtbushpilot?) had something notarized at the Cabo Consulate & it seems like he followed up & posted back that it was around $75 USD.

:light: I have an old WA State Notary stamp, which expired June 14, 1980....if he's really desperate! :lol:

DENNIS - 4-25-2011 at 01:38 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by morgaine7
US notaries aren't permitted to operate outside the country.


Yes. That would be the case in a perfect world.

Yes, Only at the Consulates

Gypsy Jan - 4-25-2011 at 01:57 PM

I was at the Tijuana consulate last week for the express purpose of notarizing a document.

After six hours, one of my fellow chair sitters who was also waiting for the notary told me that he could start up a roving notary business in Mexico.

I begged to differ, but he was enchanted with his delusion and told me that he would start hiring mobile notaries next week.

Baja, always an adventure.

DENNIS - 4-25-2011 at 02:13 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Gypsy Jan
After six hours,



WOW....you could have walked to San Ysidro and back in less than six hours.
Did the consulate apologize for the lengthy wait? :lol:

Yes, Dennis, You Are Absolutely Correct

Gypsy Jan - 4-25-2011 at 02:24 PM

My passport card application at the TJ embassy the month before took an hour or thereabouts, so I (mistakenly) thought that getting a document notarized would be a breeze.

Boy, oh, boy, was I wrong.

Trapped in the waiting room for hell, with screaming babies, crying children and disgruntled adults.

I couldn't leave because I had surrendered my ID at the first.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that they collected the $50 notary fee up front and immediately, prior to my six-hour wait.

[Edited on 4-25-2011 by Gypsy Jan]

[Edited on 4-25-2011 by Gypsy Jan]

toneart - 4-25-2011 at 02:41 PM

The information that several gave here is correct! I just went through it. The Consulates in TJ and Cabo have notaries who can do it. Better have an appointment if going to Cabo. They keep short, sporadic hours. If going to TJ, might as well cross the border.

There used to be a Mulege Judge who would do it if you had your documents translated into Spanish by Carlos Millon. Carlos told me that that Judge is no longer there. Even if he were, it is up to the party in The U.S.A. (bank?) as to whether they would accept that. Banks are conservative. Chances are, their legal department wouldn't allow it.

Adding on to Toneart's Post

Gypsy Jan - 4-25-2011 at 02:53 PM

One of the guys who sat next to me for those six hours did have an appointment.

He was called first.

Marc - 4-26-2011 at 07:06 AM

US Consulate in TJ's motto; "When in Rome, do as the
Romans do"

[Edited on 4-26-2011 by Marc]

dtbushpilot - 4-26-2011 at 08:47 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by longlegsinlapaz
The US Consulates have legal power to notarize things....but that means either TJ or Cabo & it's spendy!! Someone on BN (dtbushpilot?) had something notarized at the Cabo Consulate & it seems like he followed up & posted back that it was around $75 USD.

:light: I have an old WA State Notary stamp, which expired June 14, 1980....if he's really desperate! :lol:



I had to have 2 signatures notarized at the American Consulate in Cabo. The wait was only 20 minutes or so but it was $50US each. I don't use dollars in Mexico so I asked to pay in pesos (not realizing that I was technically in the US). No problem, but they wanted 13 to 1 (current rate at that time was 11.5 to 1).

It was a pretty big bite for 30 seconds of work......dt

DENNIS - 4-26-2011 at 10:13 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by dtbushpilot
I had to have 2 signatures notarized at the American Consulate in Cabo. The wait was only 20 minutes or so but it was $50US each. I don't use dollars in Mexico so I asked to pay in pesos (not realizing that I was technically in the US). No problem, but they wanted 13 to 1 (current rate at that time was 11.5 to 1).

It was a pretty big bite for 30 seconds of work......dt


Those notarys are nothing short of disgusting. I guess it gives a clear idea of what the Mexicans have to go through dealing with them.

Bajatripper - 4-27-2011 at 08:14 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by longlegsinlapaz
The US Consulates have legal power to notarize things....but that means either TJ or Cabo & it's spendy!! Someone on BN (dtbushpilot?) had something notarized at the Cabo Consulate & it seems like he followed up & posted back that it was around $75 USD.

:light: I have an old WA State Notary stamp, which expired June 14, 1980....if he's really desperate! :lol:


I once paid a Mexican notario about $100 dollars for witnessing my signature on a form, and that was the cheapest I could find here in La Paz. Being given the power of a notario is a bit different in Mexico, it's more like being given a license to rip people off--and I guess those who work in the US Embassies and Councils know that and are taking advantage of the situation.

[Edited on 4-27-2011 by Bajatripper]