FedEx Shipping Updates

A recent update to Federal Express shipping policies is affecting everyone in Tucson who uses FedEx. We have adjusted our shipping practices to be in line with FedEx changes, and we wanted to share how this could affect your mobile notary, apostille, or loan signing order.

In 2023, FedEx announced plans to merge its Express, Ground, and Services operating companies into one integrated company, Federal Express Corporation. This change has just rolled out in Tucson, and it has had one major effect on our notary and apostille business: the last pickup time has moved from 5:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

In order to safely meet this deadline, we can only offer same-day shipping service for appointments or packages received before noon.

Mobile Notary

For mobile notary orders, this simply means that we will schedule the appointment in the morning. If an afternoon appointment is preferred, we will let you know that the documents will not ship until the following day.

Apostille Expediting

For apostille orders, our standard turnaround time is 1-2 business days. This will not be affected by the earlier dropoff time. Our same-day rush service will be unaffected if we are returning the documents in person. However, we will only be able to accommodate same-day rush orders that need to be shipped if the appointment is in the morning (or if documents arrive before noon, in the case of documents being shipped to us).

Loan Signing

For loan signings, this change is especially challenging because many closings depend on the documents arriving before a deadline. We will notify all of the signing agencies, title companies, and individual borrowers that we work with that signings must be scheduled for the morning in order to make it to FedEx before last pickup. If the signers are unavailable in the mornings, we need to plan to sign at least two days before closing to ensure the documents arrive in time.

We apologize for any inconvenience this causes our clients. We will be sure to let anyone potentially affected by this change know about it prior to scheduling appointments. Thank you for your continued business.

*Photo by Anna Zvereva from Tallinn, Estonia, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Is a Green Card considered a valid ID for Arizona notarization?

We are often asked whether Arizona notaries are allowed to accept a green card (aka permanent resident card) as a valid ID. While it is not specifically listed in the Arizona Notary Public Reference Manual as one of the approved forms of ID, the Secretary of State’s office has confirmed that Arizona notaries can accept a green card.

The 2024 Reference Manual lists any of the following unexpired IDs as acceptable for all Arizona notary signings:

• Driver license or nonoperating identification license from any US state or territory

• US passport

• Armed forces identification card

• Inmate identification card (for incarcerated signers only)

• Foreign government issued consular identification card

• Other government issued identification card*

*The relevant Arizona Revised Statute—A.R.S. § 41-255(B)(1)(c).— defines this as “another form of unexpired government identification issued by the United States, a state or a tribal government to an individual that contains the signature or a photograph and physical description of the individual and that is satisfactory to the notarial officer.”

A green card is issued by the United States. It does not feature a signature, but it does have a photograph. It does not contain a physical description, exactly, but it does have a thumbprint, and our notaries find that satisfactory. If we have any concerns about the signer’s identity, we can use a thumbprint pad to compare a live thumbprint to the one on the green card.

Just to be extra sure that we are following the law correctly (notaries are not attorneys and cannot give legal advice, not even to ourselves!), we got it in writing from a representative in the Business Services office of the AZ Secretary of State: “Yes you can also accept the US permanent resident card as well.”

If you are using a green card as your ID for a notarization, it’s a good idea to confirm in advance that the notary knows that this is an allowable form of ID and will accept it. We definitely do, and you can make an appointment with us by calling or texting +1 (520) 200-1424.

Canada Joins Hague Apostille Convention

Great news for those doing business with our neighbors to the north: On May 12, 2023, Canada finally signed the Hague Apostille Convention, meaning that they will soon accept apostilled documents.

Canada was one of the few developed countries that hadn’t signed the Apostille Convention, and it made authentication unnecessarily cumbersome. It’s about to get much quicker and easier.

The membership will go into effect on January 11, 2024. We will be ready to help get all of your important documents apostilled for use in Canada by the Arizona Secretary of State or the US State Department.

In the meantime, contact us to discuss your best options for Canada document authentication.

China to Join Hague Apostille Convention

Exciting news: China is set to join the Hague Apostille Convention in November 2023! If you have ever had to get a document legalized for use in China, you are probably doing a happy dance right now. This will save you so much time, money, and effort in the future.

Here’s the gist: right now, if you want process an Arizona document for use in China, you have to get it notarized (depending on the document type), get it apostilled by the Arizona Secretary of State, and then get it legalized at the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles or the US State Department followed by the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC.

This process has never been fast or easy, but since Covid, it has become even more arduous. The Consulate and Embassy are closed to visitors and have strict requirements about emailing a scan, waiting for approval, mailing the document, waiting and waiting, and finally getting the legalized document at their convenience. Rush service is no longer an option. The wait can be weeks or even months long.

The US State Department has also become extremely backed up, with wait times currently around 10–14 weeks. No rush service there, either.

Needless to say, this has become very frustrating to people needing documents for use in China and their receiving parties.

The ray of sunshine is that starting on November 7, China will no longer require legalization from the Consulate or Embassy. The Arizona apostille or US apostille (depending on document type) will suffice.

We look forward to an easier China apostille process in the fall. In the meantime, we are here to facilitate your China legalization. We can’t promise that it will be fast, but we do have the experience to ensure that it gets done correctly as quickly as possible.

Contact us for more information on apostilles for China or any other country.

Two new countries joining the Hague Apostille Convention this month

Exciting news for anyone who needs a document legalized for use in Pakistan or Senegal: starting this month, they will enter into the Hague Apostille Convention. This means documents no longer have to be authenticated at the embassy or consulate for either country. This will save you time, money, and hassle!

Pakistan will enter into the Hague Convention on March 9, 2023, and Senegal will join on March 23, 2023. They will become the 123rd and 124th countries to join the Hague Convention, which was originally signed in 1961. According to the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), “The purpose of the Convention is to abolish the traditional requirement of legalisation, replacing the often long and costly legalisation process with the issuance of a single Apostille certificate by a Competent Authority in the place where the document originates.”

Countries that are not party to the Hague Convention usually require an apostille (either from the Arizona Secretary of State or the US Department of State) plus an authentication from that country’s consulate or embassy. That additional authentication adds a lot of time, expense, and hassle to the document-certification process.

More and more countries are joining the Hague Convention all the time, and we will keep updating this space as they do.

Arizona Notary Travel Fees Raised in 2023

After quite a long time without a raise, Arizona mobile notaries are now allowed to charge up to 62.5¢ for travel. That’s up from the former rate of 44.5¢ per mile.

Considering how much gas prices and automobile prices in general have gone up in the last couple of years, this increase will help Arizona travel notaries cover their travel costs.

How will this affect you, the potential client? Here at Notary A to Z, we include the travel fee in our Tucson mobile notary and apostille packages. The only time the 62.5¢ travel fee would come up is if the signer is farther than 10 miles from our home base of Grant and Alvernon. Most of Tucson, Vail, Oro Valley, and Marana are within 10 miles, so the travel fee will only apply if you’re in a remote area.

If you have any questions about mobile notary pricing, please contact us, and we’ll get you a quick quote.