The Department of State is very serious when it comes to notaries demanding the personal appearance of their customers. It's so serious that officials will strike where it hurts ... in notaries' wallets.

One notary was disciplined recently because she failed to require the personal appearance of her customer. It cost her $800 and the suspension of her notary commission for 12 months.

Demanding personal appearance of your customers is the golden rule for notaries. If you are performing a notarial act for a customer, that individual must be in your presence, in person, at arm's length from you.

Personal appearance does not mean notarizing documents via E-mail, fax, video or Web conferencing.

If the customer is not standing in front of you, how can you properly identify the customer through personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence? Each month, notaries are penalized by the state for failing to identify their customers through personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence.

Always follow the golden rule of notaries. Demand personal appearance for each customer. Your wallet will thank you and your notary reputation will be intact.