A notary public is a government appointed/state-appointed, commissioned official and public officer who serves as an impartial witness to deter fraud, related to the signing, attestation and certification of important documentation via official acts called notarizations, also known as notarial acts. This person is authorized to perform notarizations for real property deeds, grant deeds, living trusts, probate, affadavits, depositions, advanced healthcare directive, Articles of Association, certified copies, passport application documents, wills, statement of consent, powers of attorney, DMV documents, contracts, court documents, pension related documents, property titles, grants and estate plans, escrow, executorship, marital separation agreements, protests of negotiable paper and so on.