Having a notary present when these types of contracts are signed isn't necessary for the contract itself to be legal, but it may come in handy if the contract is ever disputed in court. These include real estate sales, wills, debt agreements, and real estate leases for over a year. Since this would only apply in the case of written contracts, a notarized contract could be especially important in agreements that must be in writing. Notarization can prove that a party who objects to the agreement was indeed the person who signed the contract.
Notary publics serve an important function by verifying the identity of someone who signs an agreement and attesting to that person's signature. However, if a party who signed a business agreement decides to dispute that agreement in court, a notarized contract can help a great deal. Just like wills, there is generally no requirement that a contract be notarized in order to be legally binding. What Good Is Notarizing a Contract?Ī notary can play an important role in making sure that a contract is legally enforceable, even if notarization isn't necessary. There are, however, several good reasons to consider having a contract notarized or witnessed.
The short answer is generally no: Business contracts typically don't need to be notarized or witnessed in order to be legally binding. When signing an agreement, business owners may sometimes wonder, "does my contract need to be notarized or witnessed?"