Notaries who sign up to market their services on Snapdocs have the option to upload their credentials and additional documentation for verification.
Snapdocs performs a thorough review of each document submitted for review. Below you will find a breakdown of the different categories of documents and how Snapdocs validates each type.
What is Snapdocs Verified?
Snapdocs Verified means that the notary has the below valid documents:
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Notary Commission
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Bond (if applicable)
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Background Check Report
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E&O Insurance Policy
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Government Driver’s License
When any of the above credentials expire, the notary is automatically no longer classified or shown as Snapdocs Verified. The notary is notified that their document has become expired and is prompted to upload new documentation for verification by Snapdocs.
Note: Companies on Snapdocs have the ability to further customize their own verification requirements for notaries. Additional details can be found at the bottom of this article in the How to - Add Company Settings section.
How Snapdocs Verifies Notary Credentials
Notary Commission
Notaries show they are an active notary public by uploading their state-issued commission. Having a verified notary commission is a requirement to become Snapdocs Verified.
When Snapdocs verifies a commission, we validate the document uploaded by the notary is an actual commission, the notary's name matches their profile, confirm the commission number, the issuing state and the expiration date.
Background Check Report
Having a verified background check report is a requirement to become Snapdocs Verified. Snapdocs follows Signing Professionals Workgroup's industry-set standards for notary background checks. All background check reports are required to include a SSN Trace, a Sex Offender Search, a County Criminal Search and a Federal & Nationwide Criminal Search. If a felony, sex offender, or Patriot Act charge is present on a background check report we reject the document.
Note: Snapdocs is not affiliated with the Signing Professionals Workgroup.
When Snapdocs verifies a background check report, we validate that the notary's name matches their profile and confirm the issuing company, the certification date and that all necessary sections are clean and accounted for. We also indicate if any of the background check caveats are present (see below).
Background Check Caveats
During our verification of notary background checks, we indicate 5 caveats that companies can choose to incorporate into their settings. When companies sign up, this setting is automatically set to "none", indicating that they accept all caveats to be present on background checks for their notary pool.
Caveats:
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Missing Motor vehicle report
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Missing Patriot Act/Terrorist Watch List
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Suspended License
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Has a misdemeanor
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Has a DUI
As a company on Snapdocs, you have the option to disallow any of the caveats above, which would remove any notaries with the selected caveat(s) from your notary pool. This is a setting that Snapdocs must add to your company's settings. If you would like to disallow any background caveat(s), please reach out to Snapdocs Support.
Errors & Omissions Insurance Policy
Having a verified E&O insurance policy is a requirement to become Snapdocs Verified, although Snapdocs does not require a minimum coverage amount. As a company on Snapdocs, you are able to sort and filter the minimum coverage amount in your company settings.
When Snapdocs verifies an insurance policy, we validate that the document uploaded by the notary is an actual E&O policy, the notary's name matches their profile, confirm the issuing company, the expiration date, the policy number and the coverage amount.
ID Verification
Snapdocs utilizes a secure, third-party ID verification company. Having a verified ID is a requirement to become Snapdocs Verified. Snapdocs only accepts a valid government issued driver’s license.
Notary Bond
Depending on which state a notary lives in, having a verified bond may be part of the requirements to become Snapdocs Verified. The states that currently require notary bonds are Alabama, California, Hawaii, and Oklahoma.
When Snapdocs verifies a notary bond, we validate that the document uploaded by the notary is an actual bond, that the notary's name matches their profile, and confirm the state, the issuing company, the bond number, the coverage amount, and the expiration date.
Title Insurance Producer License
Notaries commissioned in Maryland and Indiana can upload their title producer licenses for verification. Companies are able to require proof of TIPIC insurance in their Verified Notary Preferences, shown below in the section How to - Add Company Settings.
When Snapdocs verifies a TIPIC document, we validate that the document uploaded by the notary is an actual TIPIC, that the notary's name matches their profile, and confirm the license number, the NPN and the expiration date.
NNA (National Notary Association) Certification
Some companies prefer to work with signing agents who are NNA Certified and Background Screened. Snapdocs does not require notary signing agents to be NNA certified, but we do run a nightly check with the NNA to determine if notaries have completed the course and exam, which makes them NNA certified. The notary name, email address and phone number must match on their NNA profile and Snapdocs profile. Companies can require proof of NNA certification in their Verified Notary Preferences, shown below in the section How to - Add Company Settings.
Note: Snapdocs is not affiliated with the NNA.
Bar Card
Attorneys can upload their bar card to show companies that they are indeed licensed attorneys.
When Snapdocs verifies bar cards, we validate that the document uploaded by the notary is an actual bar card, that the notary's name matches their profile, the issuing state, the bar card number and the expiration date.
Additional Credential
There are many more certifications and credentials that notary signing agents can obtain outside of what has been listed above. If notaries have additional documents that don't fit under a category we provide, they can upload them as additional documents.
If the notary is RON (Remote Online Notarization) or IPEN (In-Person Electronic Notary) certified, they can indicate these accreditations on their profile and upload proof of certification. You can add these to your search by selecting them as a language filter.
How To Add Company Settings
As a company on Snapdocs, you have the ability to set additional requirements for your notary pool. If you wish to add any of the below settings please follow the steps below or reach out to Snapdocs Support.
Step 1: Login to Snapdocs
Step 2: Select Admin dropdown in the upper right corner
Step 3: Select Company Settings
Step 4: Select Settings tab on left options bar
Step 5: Scroll to Verified Notary Preference or Search Preferences section
Note: Snapdocs Services Clients have agreed to the pre-arranged settings and are not able to customize these options.
Verified Notary Preferences
In this section, you can indicate your company's preferences on driver's licenses, state credentials, NNA certification, and how long you want a notary's NNA and background check to be valid.
Search Preferences
In this section, you can require your notary pool to be Snapdocs Verified, have background checks, set a minimum for E&O Insurance, set a default search radius, and your automator message delivery interval.
