How to Find a Notary in Michigan

Notaries public are officials who witness signatures on important documents to ensure that the signatures were written of the signers' own free will and to ensure that the signers are who they claim to be. Michigan certifies notaries public and each has an official seal to emboss documents. You can locate a notary public near you by inputting your ZIP code on specific websites. Once you have a notary public's name, go on the Michigan Department of State website to make sure the notary public is still certified.

Locating a Notary Public in Michigan

• 1

  Search for a notary public online. The website 123notary.com contains a list of notaries public in the U.S., organized by state. To find a notary public in the state of Michigan, click on "Find a Notary Public" then click on "Michigan." A new window will allow you to search by city, county or ZIP code. An advanced search will allow you to search by the first two or three numbers of a ZIP code and also by a notary's specific ID number.

• 2

  Visit Notarypublicdirectory.com. Click on "Michigan" in the list of states in the column on the right-hand side. A list of both companies and individuals will appear. To narrow your results, you can search by "Major Cities" such as Detroit or Grand Rapids, or "Other Cities" for suburbs and surrounding districts.

• 3

  Visit the Department of State webpage to determine when a notary's certification expires. Type in the last name of the individual, omitting any suffixes or punctuation marks. The resulting matches will list the notary's appointment date, expiration date, and his or her current status. You may also refine your inquiry to search by expiration date and limit results to a specific county.

• 4

  Search Yellowpages.com or your local phone book. If "Notary public" isn't listed as a category, look for banks or lending institutions. Most will have at least one notary public on staff.

• 5

  Go to your local post office. Often, post offices will have a notary public. Call ahead to verify when a notary public will be available.