Can a waiver of service for a Texas divorce be notarized before the petition is filed?

No. Under Texas Family Code Section 6.4035 the waiver must be signed after the petition is filed, and it must be sworn before a notary. A waiver dated earlier will be rejected, and a notary cannot backdate. Tell us when the case was filed and we schedule the appointment the same day or the day after — evenings and weekends included anywhere in El Paso.

Do both parents have to be present to notarize a custody agreement?

Each parent must appear before the notary for his or her own signature, but not at the same time or place. We often notarize one parent's signature at home in the Eastside and the other's at work downtown the next day, or the second parent signs by remote online notarization from another state when the court accepts it. Each appearance carries its own notarial fee.

How much does it cost to notarize divorce papers in El Paso?

Texas sets the notarial fee: $10 for an oath or the first acknowledged signature and $1 for each additional signature on the same document. We add a nominal $39 travel fee anywhere in El Paso, itemized separately. A typical waiver of service costs $10 plus travel; a packet with several affidavits is quoted before we come. Text (915) 302-0902 for an exact number.

Can the notary help me fill out the name-change petition?

No. A Texas notary is not an attorney and cannot select forms, fill in blanks or explain what a section means; doing so would be practicing law. Complete the petition with your attorney or with the court's self-help forms first. When it is ready, we verify your identity, administer the oath the Chapter 45 petition requires, and complete the certificate so the El Paso County District Clerk accepts it.

My divorce decree is from Ciudad Juárez. Can you notarize it for a Texas court?

A notary cannot certify a foreign court document, but Texas courts commonly accept a certified translation with a translator's sworn affidavit. The translator signs that affidavit before us — we notarize the translator's oath, not the decree itself. If a Texas document needs to go the other direction, to a court or registry in Mexico, it will need a Texas Secretary of State apostille, which we also handle.

Divorce, Custody & Name Change Notary El Paso

Divorce, Child Custody & Name Change Documents — Notarized at Your Door in El Paso

Waivers of service, custody agreements, name-change petitions and the affidavits that go with them, sworn before a mobile notary at your home or office in El Paso — same day, evenings and weekends, in English or Spanish.

Texas Notary Public · commissioned by the Texas Secretary of State · online notary commission

Family court paperwork is full of signatures that must be sworn or acknowledged before a notary, and the timing is rarely convenient. A spouse in Ciudad Juárez or on deployment from Fort Bliss agrees to an uncontested divorce and needs to sign a waiver of service; parents who have worked out a custody schedule want it signed and notarized before the hearing; an adult changing a name after a marriage or divorce needs a verified petition and an affidavit for the El Paso County District Clerk. QWIK Mobile Notary comes to your home, your attorney's office or your workplace anywhere in El Paso so those signatures happen on your schedule, in English or Spanish, and the paperwork is ready to file.

The most common document is the waiver of service under Texas Family Code Section 6.4035: the respondent gives up formal service of the divorce petition, but the waiver must be sworn before a notary and, importantly, signed after the petition has been filed — a waiver signed a day too early is worthless. Name changes under Texas Family Code Chapter 45 start with a verified petition, which means the petitioner swears to its contents before a notary. Custody and parenting agreements, affidavits of inability to pay court costs, and property settlement agreements are typically signed as acknowledgments or sworn statements depending on how the attorney or the court's forms are written. In every case the notary confirms your identity, watches you sign when an oath is required, and completes the Texas certificate on the form.

Text or call (915) 302-0902 with the type of document and where you are. We confirm the fee — $10 per oath or acknowledgment, $1 for each additional signature on the same document, plus a $39 travel fee in El Paso — and set a time, including evenings and weekends. Bring an unexpired photo ID and leave sworn documents unsigned until the notary arrives; a spouse who lives elsewhere can sign in a separate appointment or by remote online notarization when the court accepts it. We are not attorneys and cannot tell you which form to use, fill in blanks for you, or explain what a clause means; your attorney or the El Paso County law library's self-help resources do that. What we guarantee is a correct, properly dated notarization the clerk will accept.

Documents we notarize

Waiver of Service / Waiver of Citation for divorce (Tex. Fam. Code §6.4035)
Affidavit of Inability to Pay Court Costs
Agreed Final Decree of Divorce signature acknowledgments
Child Custody Agreements and Parenting Plans
Agreed custody and child support modification affidavits
Name Change Petitions for adults and minors (Tex. Fam. Code ch. 45)
Affidavits of Identity for a name change
Parental consent to a minor's name change
Property settlement and marital agreements
Sworn inventory and appraisement
Translator's affidavits for divorce or custody documents from Mexico
Affidavits supporting protective-order or enforcement filings, prepared by your attorney

The date on a divorce waiver matters more than people think

Texas courts reject waivers of service that were signed before the petition was filed, and a notary who backdates a certificate commits an offense. So when a family member calls from El Paso saying the other spouse is ready to sign tonight, our first question is whether the case has a cause number yet. If it does not, we schedule the appointment for the day after filing. The waiver must also be sworn — the signer takes an oath and signs in the notary's presence — and it should include the case caption exactly as filed. Getting those three details right means the judge can grant an uncontested divorce without a second trip.

Custody agreements, name changes and paperwork that crosses the border

Agreed parenting plans and custody modifications are usually signed by both parents, sometimes days apart, and we can notarize each signature in a separate visit so neither parent has to rearrange work. Name-change petitions for adults and minors are verified before the notary, and a minor's petition may require consent signatures from both parents. El Paso families also bring divorce decrees and custody orders from Chihuahua that need a sworn translator's affidavit before a Texas court will accept them; the translator signs that affidavit before us, and if the document is headed back to Mexico we can route it for a Texas Secretary of State apostille.

What to bring

Unexpired government photo ID for every person signing
The complete document — leave sworn documents unsigned until the notary arrives
For a waiver of service: the filed petition's cause number and caption
Your attorney's or the court's signing instructions, if any
Payment (card, cash or app)

How a mobile appointment works

Text or call to book

Tell us the document and whether the case has been filed. We confirm the fee — statutory notarial fee plus the $39 El Paso travel fee — and set a time that works for everyone who signs, including evenings.

We come to you

At your home, your attorney's office or your workplace, the notary checks ID, administers the oath where the form requires one, watches you sign and completes the Texas certificate. Most family documents take about fifteen minutes.

File it or hand it to your attorney

You leave with a correctly dated, notarized original ready for the El Paso County District Clerk or your lawyer. If the other spouse signs later or from another city, we schedule that visit or an online session.