# US expats Q: where do I find a certifying officer, other than consulate or embassy?



## papaia

I am in need of legalizing a special document, under the supervision of a *certifying officer* (vs a regular notary), and I was presented with the following _*two alternatives*_ (to a consulate/embassy specialist, to which I would like to avoid traveling):

a. Managers and officers of branches of U.S. depository institutions and institutions that are members of treasury-recognized signature guarantee programs.

b. Notaries public and other officers authorized to administer oaths, provided their authority is certified by a United States diplomatic or consular official.

Is there a source of information allowing one to obtain contact info for a certifying officer, from one of the two categories above, by location, in France? I looked up the US embassy and consulates sites, but they don't have such lists (as they do for French regular notaries, for example).


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## tardigrade

Is there an AMEX office near you? They or another US of A financial institution might help.


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## Bevdeforges

There are allegedly online notary services (i.e. "notary" in the sense of "notary public" in the US sense of the term - basically where they attest to the validity of your signature on the document). I have no idea how these work but we've had several reports of such services being both available online and legally acceptable for most purposes. Search on the term "online notary services" and see if what you get might be acceptable.

Otherwise, I think you'll find that US companies don't have notary publics - at least not notaries they make available to non-employees. Just a note - in most States, notary publics are regulated by the county in which they serve, making "foreign" US notaries kind of a lost cause. Depending on what it is you need certified, we've had a few folks report that validation of signatures may be acceptable if done by a local governmental official (often at the mairie level) - but you would need to check with whoever it is who is requesting that your documents be notarized in the US manner.

Also, there is a huge difference between a US notary public and a French "notaire."


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## papaia

Thank you, @Bevdeforges - I know about and did use such services for a lot of "regular" signing w/ID validation of documents, while in the US, and a few from outside (online). Unfortunately none of these are acceptable by the US Treasury, thus the need for what they call a "certifying officer".


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## Chrissippus

papaia said:


> Thank you, @Bevdeforges - I know about and did use such services for a lot of "regular" signing w/ID validation of documents, while in the US, and a few from outside (online). Unfortunately none of these are acceptable by the US Treasury, thus the need for what they call a "certifying officer".


Did you try ID.ME, which does id verification for various agencies of the US govt?


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