Many of us have seen this... a signer comes through the portal needing a document notarized however, they have already signed the document! What do you do?!
Instead of insisting they upload a fresh/clean document (which, they may not have access), or terminating the session (which, we want to avoid), here is a simple solution...
- First, advise and request the signer of the following... “I see you already signed the document. Please acknowledge that you, yourself have place your signature on the document, (wait for acknowledgment) and that you did so on your own free will, (wait for response)."
- Second, have the signer apply their electronic signature to the document in addition to the signature that is already there (usually, underneath or beside their original signature).
- Next, notarize the document as you normally would.
If the signer does not accept the above option (adding a second (2nd) signature to the document), they are welcome to the following alternative solutions:
- Click
to upload a clear/clean unsigned copy of the document to be notarized; - (or) The signer may whiteout or cover up their signature on the document then, click
to upload the document without their signature.
All of the above options can be done during the signing session, there is no need to terminate the session if the signer needs to upload the document again.
See the Solutions article How to Add a Document During an Online Notary Session?