Running around from assignments to exams to events to work is already more than enough work for one person. When traditional notary offices have their standard operating hours and you are absolutely unable to go to their offices, this is a frustrating dilemma you want to avoid.
Here's the problem:
Notarization is needed for many students' official documents. Forms for financial aid, identification documents, scholarship applications, internships, or study abroad programs. When notarization deadlines slip because you can't find a local notary, it becomes a lot of trouble you don't need in your life.
Without notarization, these important documents of yours may not be valid or accepted.
Luckily for you, online notary services for students can now be accessed all over the internet. This is a real game-changer that not only helps you but can benefit your fellow college mates as well.
So, how is online notarization service for students exactly useful for your needs? I will walk you through the reason why you would need an online notary as a student and how the services can greatly help you.
You will learn:
- Student Document Dilemma
- Why Students Really Need Notary Services
- Online Notarization Works For Students
- Benefits of Notary Services for Students
- Common Student Documents Needing Notarization
The Student Document Dilemma
Picture a usual week as a student…
Classes from 9 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon. Jobs take the evenings and weekends. Study groups, clubs, activities, and parties (if you have time) take over during your free times.
Here comes the catch:
Most notary offices are opened during the time when you have classes or when you have to work. In fact, over 1.25 billion documents are notarized in the United States alone every year. Students are racing against their classmates in getting their documents notarized before deadlines close.
This whole time mess is why online notarization works best for you. Work during YOUR OWN time and not follow anyone else's schedule.
Why Students Really Need Notary Services
Let me reveal to you a little secret that not many people know until they are in need of it.
A lot of student's important documents require notarization. The documents that require notarization that you will surely encounter during your college years are these:
Financial Aid Documents
A lot of colleges require a notarized form of identity verification for financial aid. If you are unable to go in person to your financial aid office, a notary will verify your identity and sign the Statement of Educational Purpose for you.
87% of four-year college students took the help of financial aid when paying for their college expenses. As such, notary services are a must-have for students needing aid during their college years.
Scholarship Applications
Some private scholarships require notarized documents to confirm your identity or to ensure that the information you have filled in your application is not forged. Forgetting to have the notarized document means losing a big scholarship amount.
Study Abroad Documents
When studying abroad, you need to have documents such as your academic transcripts, your documents in translated form, and notarized copies of your passport.
Internship & Employment Documents
A lot of internship or co-op programs need notarized agreements, background check, or authorization for you to get the documents notarized.
Employers and companies need verified and legal documents and they are not going to wait for you just to get documents notarized.
Housing Contracts
You are signing a contract when renting a house or a place to live in. There are some landlords out there who would need you to sign a notarized rental agreement or your parents signing a notarized guarantee for you.
This is especially if you are an international student or a student with no credit history in the United States.
How Online Notarization Works For Students
Now, here's how to notarize your documents in a student-friendly way…
The process is easy-peasy. It only takes about 15 minutes for the whole process to be completed. Since 40 states now permitting remote online notarization, most probably you are already covered no matter where you are in the US attending college or university.
The steps are:
- Upload the document that needs notarization to the online notary platform
- Verify your identity by video conferencing securely
- Review the document with the licensed notary via video call
- Sign digitally while being watched by the notary
- Receive your signed and notarized document right away.
That's it. You are not required to drive from one building to another, queue up and wait, and rush just to make the notary's appointment hours.
The Benefits That Matter Most To Students
The benefits of notarizing documents online are never ending and the ones here will all apply to you as a student.
Accessible 24/7
Did you just study and you are now on a free time schedule at 2 in the morning? Most online notary services are available 24/7. You can get any of your documents notarized between your studies, after your evening job, or on the break on Sunday afternoon.
Saves Money & Time
Gas for your car, your parking expenses, the time you will take while driving. All of these are just making you lose more money and time. Online notarization does away with all of these traveling expenses.
Since you are a student, the mobile notary service market is expected to grow as high as $0.42 billion by the year 2025. Why? Because online notarization provides the most convenient way for its customers (students).
The Perfect Solution for International Students
International students also need notarized documents but have longer, extra requirements for those documents to be notarized. When you have online notaries at your service, you can now get notarized documents without having to visit your embassy or dealing with a time-consuming and costly notarization process for your international documents.
You will be able to process documents needed for your visa, documents for you to study in a foreign university or even power of attorney documents for your family back home.
No Missed Deadlines
Financial aid deadlines. Scholarship application dates that are set and closed forever. With online notarization, you can get the service you need instantly instead of having to wait for an available appointment time.
Safe & Legal
Documents that are notarized online are also legally valid the same as the ones that are notarized physically. The security of the online notarization process uses bank-level encryption. You can be sure that your identity is safe. There are video recordings and a whole digital audit trail for the entire notarization session.
Common Student Documents That Need Notarization
To give you an idea on which documents you would need to get notarized from the moment you are in college up until your graduation…
For Financial Aid purposes:
- Statement of Educational Purpose
- Identity verification forms
- Parent authorization forms
Legal Documents
- Power of attorney (when your parents will act for you while you are away in your college)
- Lease agreement
- Consent forms
Academic
- Official transcripts if you would be studying abroad
- Degree verification letters
- Translated academic records
Employment
- Internship agreements
- Background check authorizations
- Work authorizations
The key is to prepare yourself for notarization ahead of time so you won't run into a hassle last-minute.
Wrapping Things Up
Online notary services have provided a problem that many students need a solution to. Having the documents notarized without having to miss any part of your already busy schedule as a student.
Whether it be for a financial aid, study abroad, or signing legal agreements for your internship programs…
Online notarization is a real help as you can do it all from where you are.
In short, these are the points we have gathered:
- Documents can be notarized 24/7 from wherever you are
- You save time and money from traveling and waiting for appointments
- You can avoid ever-missed deadlines if you cannot find a notary when you needed one
- It is legally valid
Student life is hard and not going to traditional notary offices' schedule should not be added to your problems.
