U.S. citizens abroad

Notarize a power of attorney from abroad

A power of attorney lets someone in the United States act for you while you are away. It usually has to be signed in front of a notary, which is hard to arrange from another country. A New Jersey notary can see and verify you by secure video.

Book a video session

✓ New Jersey commissioned notary, no. 50244803, insured for errors and omissions. See the credentials

Matthew Coleman, NJ Notary Public and NNA Certified Loan Signing Agent. Cranford, NJ. Fee confirmed before your session. Card charged only after it is complete. We aim to confirm within 15 minutes, 7am to 9pm.

When this comes up

People most often need this to let a relative, friend or attorney close on a U.S. property, handle a bank or brokerage account, deal with a tax matter or manage a business while they are overseas.

Ask the receiving party first

The most common reason a notarized document is rejected is that nobody checked what the other side would accept. Before you book, find out:

Does the bank, title company, brokerage or agency accept a power of attorney notarized remotely? Some have their own forms and rules, and some require original ink signatures.
Do they want their own power of attorney form, or will they accept a general one? Many institutions will only honor their own.
Does the document need witnesses in addition to the notary? Requirements for witnesses vary by state and by purpose.
Will it be recorded with a county office? Recorders can set formatting rules, such as margins and the notary details they expect.
Who will be your agent, and have they agreed? The notary does not choose or vet the agent.

How it works

Ask the receiving party. Find out in writing whether it accepts a remote notarization and what kind of notarial act it needs.
Send us the document. Tell us what it is for and where you will be. We check that it has one of the three U.S. connections New Jersey law requires for a signer outside the United States.
Book a video session. Online sessions run 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time, 7 days a week, by appointment. Bring an unexpired government photo ID, a device with a camera and microphone, and a steady connection. Check the clock in both places.
Sign on camera. We verify your identity, you sign when told to, and the notary completes the notarization.
Send it on. You receive the notarized document to deliver or upload as the receiving party requires.

Get it notarized online today

Online notary: open now until 9 PM ET · sessions by appointment · times confirmed by email

A New Jersey notary can notarize this with you on a video call, from anywhere in the U.S. or, on the terms below, from abroad. The fee shows in the booking form before you confirm. Open 7 am to 9 pm ET, every day, by appointment.

What you need

A valid government photo ID
A computer or phone with a camera
The unsigned document

Book an online session

Our certificate states the act was performed using communication technology, as New Jersey law requires. What it must say

Signing from outside the U.S.? We can notarize when the document is for a U.S. court or agency, involves U.S. property, or relates to a transaction connected with the U.S., and signing isn't prohibited where you are. Check your document.

Most U.S. recipients accept a remotely notarized document; check with whoever will receive it. What to ask them · Several signers

Does this document qualify from abroad?

A power of attorney usually qualifies when the agent will use it in the United States: to sell, buy, refinance or manage U.S. property, to handle a U.S. bank, brokerage or retirement account, or to deal with a U.S. court, the IRS or another U.S. agency. A power of attorney meant only for matters in another country, with none of those connections, does not qualify for a video session with us.

When a New Jersey notary can act

The notary must be physically in New Jersey. You can be anywhere. Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and other U.S. territories count as inside the United States.
If you are outside the United States, the document must meet at least one of these: (a) it will be filed with, or relates to a matter before, a U.S. court, public official, government agency or other entity under U.S. jurisdiction; (b) it involves property located in the United States; or (c) it relates to a transaction substantially connected with the United States.
In every case, signing it must not be prohibited by the country you are in. You confirm that with the local authorities there; we are not lawyers and cannot advise on foreign law.
Wills and codicils are outside New Jersey's remote notarization law, so we do not notarize them by video.
The receiving party decides whether it accepts the result.
The session is recorded, and New Jersey requires the recording to be kept for at least 10 years.

Source: N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10 (P.L.2021, c.179, section 19), New Jersey Legislature. This is a plain summary, not legal advice.

Mistakes that get paperwork rejected

Signing before the session. Sign only when the notary tells you to, on camera.
Leaving blanks. An incomplete document may be rejected or, worse, filled in later by someone else.
Using an expired or unreadable ID, or an ID that does not match the name on the document.
Assuming one power of attorney works everywhere. The receiving party decides what it will honor.
Skipping the lawyer. A power of attorney gives broad authority, so have an attorney draft or review it.

Questions

Can a New Jersey notary notarize a power of attorney for a signer overseas?

Yes, when it meets at least one of the three connections: it relates to a matter before a U.S. court, agency or other U.S. entity, it involves property in the United States, or it relates to a transaction substantially connected with the United States. Signing it must also not be prohibited where you are, which you confirm locally. Tell us what the power of attorney is for and we check before booking.

Does the person receiving it have to accept it?

Yes, they decide. Banks, title companies and agencies often have their own rules, so ask them before you book.

Can you write the power of attorney for me?

No. A notary cannot draft documents or give legal advice. An attorney can draft or review it.

MCC Solutions is not a law firm and a notary cannot give legal advice, choose the type of notarization for you, or tell you what a document means. Ask the office or person who will receive the document what it needs, and ask a lawyer about the content.

Send us the document and where you are

Ask before you book Call (908) 444-6373