How to notarize a power of attorney in Illinois
People seek a power of attorney for a variety of reasons and circumstances. Usually its for a family member who is older and unable to make good decisions on their own – or are at the point that they can no longer take care of themselves.
A power of attorney in Illinois is a legal document that grants specific “powers” to someone you trust known as the Agent or Attorney-in-Fact in order to handle certain matters.
Types of POAs in Illinois
Let’s first discuss the two main types of POAs in Illinois. The most common power of attorneys in Illinois are:
POA for Property
- a POA for property in Illinois allows someone to handle your financial or business matters.
POA for Healthcare
- a health care POA allows someone to make medical decisions on your behalf. (This document goes by different names depending on the state, but in Illinois it is called a durable power of attorney for health care.
These two are the most common we notarize and provide witnesses for here in Chicago!
Notarizing A Power of Attorney Legally in Illinois
Writing a POA on a napkin and having your loved one sign it won’t cut it in court. A power of attorney is a very important estate planning document that needs to be drafted properly (preferably by an estate planning lawyer) and witness & notarized by a licensed notary in the state.
There are three key things that must happen in order to make a POA legal and enforceable:
- Create or print the POA using a Statutory Form or have one made by an Attorney
- POA must be signed in the presence of a notary public
- You must have the POA signing witnessed by at least one person (note the notary CANNOT act as both a witness and notary)
The location of the signing and witnessing does not matter. You can have your POA notarized and witnessed at your loved one’s home, nursing home, and in emergency cases even hospitals.
We Notarize POAs All The Time In Illinois
As power of attorney notaries, we notarize POAs consistently in Cook County and surround counties – therefore we know the process very well. Our mobile notary services have been a life saver for many families throughout northern Illinois. If you ever need a POA notarized and witnessed, Don’t hesitate to give us a call!
We have notaries in Lake, McHenry, DuPage, and yes Cook Country ready at a moments notice to help.
