Questions El Paso asks us every week.

An acknowledgment confirms that you signed a document willingly — you may have signed it earlier and simply acknowledge the signature before the notary. A jurat means you swear or affirm that the contents are true and sign in the notary’s presence; affidavits and sworn statements use it. The document’s certificate tells us which one it needs; if it has none, you or your attorney decide and we attach the right Texas form.

An unexpired government-issued ID with photo and signature: Texas driver license or ID, U.S. or foreign passport, military ID, Mexican passport or consular ID. Expired IDs are not accepted. Without ID, Texas allows a credible witness who personally knows the signer, has no interest in the document and has valid ID.

Not if it is sworn — affidavits, waivers, applications with an oath must be signed in front of the notary. For acknowledged documents like deeds and powers of attorney you may sign ahead, but it is simplest to wait. Never leave blanks; a notary cannot notarize an incomplete document.

Texas wills need two witnesses and some other documents ask for one or two. The notary cannot be a witness on a document they notarize. Ask when booking — a second witness can sometimes be arranged for an additional fee, and family members who are not named in the document usually qualify.

Give legal advice, choose or draft documents, certify copies of birth, death or marriage certificates or recorded documents, notarize for a signer who is not present or not aware, notarize their own signature or a document they benefit from, or perform a marriage ceremony by virtue of the commission. We also cannot notarize outside Texas.

No. In Mexico that role is held by licensed attorneys who draft and authenticate legal instruments. A Texas Notary Public is not an attorney, cannot give legal advice or prepare documents, and only verifies identity, administers oaths and certifies signatures. When your document is headed to Mexico, the apostille from the Texas Secretary of State is what makes the Texas notarization recognized there.

Same day in most cases, often within a couple of hours, depending on where we are in the county when you text. We work seven days a week by appointment, including evenings and holidays. For a fixed deadline — a closing, a flight, a court date — book as early as you can and tell us the deadline.

Yes, and we do it often. The signer must be awake, aware of what they are signing and able to show ID or be identified by a credible witness. Facilities set their own access rules and hours — the El Paso County Detention Facility in particular — so we confirm those before we go and tell you what the family needs to bring.

Yes, as long as the notary can read the notarial certificate and communicate directly with the signer, which we can in both languages. The certificate we attach is in the form Texas prescribes. If the recipient abroad needs a translation, that is done by a translator, whose sworn statement we can notarize.

Card, cash or mobile payment at the appointment; online sessions are paid before they begin; title companies and law firms may be invoiced. Every receipt itemizes each notarial act at the Texas statutory rate and the travel fee separately.