Notary services are mandatory for different types of financial purposes. Since Bank of America is currently the second-largest bank in the USA, the following query can pop up in your mind. Does Bank of America provide free notary services?
In short, Bank of America offers free notary services. With more than 4600 operating locations and 67 million customers and clients, Bank of America feels it’s their responsibility to offer free notary services.
However, only some are eligible to get notary services free of cost from Bank of America. Only business clients and customers of the bank can afford notary services with an appointment at a selected Bank of America branch.
Let’s reveal more details about the notary services of Bank of America.
What Types of Documents Does Bank of America Notarize?
Bank of America’s free notary service can be useful for many individuals. You can visit your nearest Bank of America branch to get notary services for free if you have an account with the bank. Otherwise, you should be a business client with Bank of America to receive free notary services from this bank.
For example, you can have a checking account, savings account, or a Bank of America credit card to get free notary services. On a related note, only some Bank of America branches can offer you notary services around the clock. Reportedly, smaller branches keep notaries available on selected days of the week.
Indeed, some can have irregular hours. So, you can call your Bank of America branch to ensure whether notaries are available. In addition, you need to make an appointment before you walk into a Bank of America branch to get notary services.
Moreover…
What types of documents can you notarize from a Bank of America branch? Since notarization makes a document more enforcing and powerful, Bank of America offers free notary services for the following document types:
- Weapon permits
- ID verification after credit card got stolen
- Powers of attorney
- Will for estate planning
- Advanced health instructions
- Prenuptial agreements
- Medical authorisation forms for minors
- Federal government applications and documents
- Property deeds for states with free land grants
- Removal of your name from public records
- Homeschooling agreements
- Title application for a car
- Promissory notes for 6-figure and 7-figure contracts
- Bill of sale for vehicles while buying a used or new car after a VIN check
- Guardianship agreements
- Authorization to change a name from a title
- Direct deposit authorization forms for banks and credit unions
- Death and retirement benefit designations
Therefore, you can opt for a Bank of America notary appointment for the above documents.
What Prevents Bank of America from Notarizing Your Documents?
Remember, Bank of America’s free notary service doesn’t apply to every document that seeks a notarization. On the other hand, the Bank of America notary public examines every document before notarizing it. They might even ask you a few questions to testify to the document’s authenticity.
To get your documents notarized by Bank of America notary public, you should follow the instructions below:
- You must make an appointment before you go to Bank of America for notary purposes.
- In addition, you should bring all the documents you want to notarize to the selected branch notary public.
- An approved government-issued photo ID is a must.
- Moreover, you should bring a co-signer if the document notarization requires it.
If you maintain all these criteria, then a Bank of America notary will inspect and verify your documents. Afterwards, the notary will sign the document and emboss the seal or stamp to prove that the document is authentic.
Therefore, Bank of America notary service may go in vain if any of the following statements are true:
- Your documents have blank spaces where information is mandatory. The notary may consider the document as fraud.
- Otherwise, you have defective government documents.
- The document doesn’t acquire a notarial certificate.
- You have pre-printed government forms that don’t obey notary law guidelines.
- Witnesses or co-signers are absent where the document requires them.
- Co-signers don’t carry a valid government-issued photo ID.
You can’t get free notary services from Bank of America in these situations.
How Can You Get Bank of America Notary Services?
You just can’t visit any Bank of America branch without prior notice to receive notary services. An appointment is mandatory, but how can you get Bank of America’s free notary services?
Bank of America provides notary services for free at almost every branch. Additionally, you should be a customer or client of this bank. However, the best way to get a notary service from this bank is to contact a nearby branch. Then, you can ask the representative whether the service is available and on which day.
Here’s how you can get Bank of America Notary services for free:
Locate a Bank of America Branch
Use the dedicated online tool Bank of America branch locator on any web browser. Make sure that you search by your address, city, ZIP code, and state. You will get all the nearest Bank of America branches and their following details:
- Branch phone number
- Address
- Directions
- Hours of operation
After that, you can call the nearest branch and ask about the type of notary services provided there. Besides this, you need to learn about the notary service days and operating hours.
Fix an Appointment for Notary Services
Does that Bank of America offer notary services for free? Once you are sure about this, you must schedule an appointment via the dedicated website. Let’s check out the guidelines below:
- Go to the Bank of America Notary Services webpage using any web browser.
- You must check out the on-screen instructions carefully.
- Next, scroll down and click the option ‘Schedule an appointment’.
- Now, input your city, state, or ZIP code.
- Hit the Find Locations button to see all the nearby branches. After that, choose ‘Select This Location’ once you detect the closest branch.
- Then, choose a convenient date and time for the visit.
- Click Next and fill out the given form.
Finally, confirm the appointment.
Prepare for the Appointment
Only bringing your documents to the selected branch won’t complete the job. Hence, you have to follow the points below:
- Carry all the pages of the document that you want to get notarized. The notary will dismiss it if you bring in only the signing page.
- In addition, you can’t sign the document before the appointment. On the other hand, you can’t even write the date down on the document before appearing for the appointment.
Apart from these, you and the co-signer or witness must bring IDs, such as:
- State-issued identification card
- U.S. military ID
- State, country, or local government-issued ID
- State-issued driver’s license
- U.S. Department of State-issued passport
- Green card
- A foreign passport or a driver’s license issued in Canada or Mexico
However, all Bank of America branches in different states might not accept the last option.
Are Notary Services at Bank of America Locations Free?
Yes, you don’t have to pay anything to get Bank of America notary services as long as you are a customer or client. Besides Bank of America, you can go to public libraries, car dealers, hotels, law offices, UPS, courthouses, real estate agents, etc. for notary services. However, that might cost you some dollars.
