What's In Your Notary Bag?

When you take an assignment as a mobile notary, you should try to be prepared for just about anything within reason. How prepared are you? What items/supplies are in your notary bag? Here are some essentials I recommend you bring along to every signing (listed in no particular order):

Lots of pens, both blue ink and black ink. Get cheap pens that work well (my favorites are the stick pens from Papermate and Bic). Pens have a habit of disappearing, so keep plenty on-hand.

Paper clips, both large and small.

Binder clips of various sizes.

A good, reliable little stapler (and plenty of staples).

Large, strong rubber bands.

Scratch paper.

A receipt book.

Acknowledgment and Jurat forms.

A supply of your business cards.

3M Post-It notes (you can never have too many).

Page markers (those colorful, self-adhesive little tags that let you mark pages and easily find them later).

A yellow highlighter pen. (Other colors too, if you like. But definitely include yellow.)

Scissors.

A staple remover (unless you enjoy destroying your fingernails).

A magnifying glass.

A clipboard (sometimes it's the best - and only - good writing surface available).

Names and phone numbers for all parties involved in - or associated with - the signing.

Your notary journal. (I like to carry at least one extra backup journal as well. When one journal fills up, I can go right to the next one.)

Your notary seal. (As with the journal, I also carry at least one extra seal. They can break or otherwise malfunction. If you use a self-inking seal, be sure to keep a small container of refill ink in your bag. If you use a seal with a separate ink pad, carry an extra pad of ink.)

A thumbprinter.

Your own photo ID. (Of course, if you're driving, you should have your driver license with you anyway.)

I don't use an "official" notary bag. I prefer a spacious, soft-sided bag with lots of zippered pockets, including several large pockets. Use whatever works best for you.

Joel
http://www.drivenotary.com
http://www.sundancenotary.com