Notary Services
Consular Officers at U.S. Embassies and Consulates overseas are empowered to perform notarial services that are recognized in the United States. We offer notarial services to U.S. citizens, and to non-U.S. citizens for transactions that have some connection to the United States, for example if a Montenegrin citizen wishes to purchase or sell a house in the United States.
What you need to bring with you
For us to be able to notarize your documents, you must:
- Bring a government-issued photo ID, e.g. a passport;
- Bring and understand your document, as we are not allowed to explain the contents to you; we will ask you to summarize the contents and intent of the document; if you are unable to demonstrate that you understand the document, then we must refuse to perform the requested notarial service;
- Have filled in the document with the appropriate names, places and dates, but do not sign it; you will sign it at the Embassy in front of the Consular Officer.
- Schedule an appointment; In order for us to best serve you, please send an e-mail to PodgoricaACS@state.gov for additional information or to schedule an appointment.
We are prohibited from drafting or preparing legal documents for you. Embassy staff members are also prohibited from serving as witnesses for your documents; we can only serve as the notary. If your document requires a witness (es), please bring the witness (es) with you. Witnesses must also bring a photo ID.
Fees
Please see current Consular Fees and methods of payment
Types of Notarial
Acknowledgement
An Acknowledgement of Execution is used for legal agreements, deeds, powers of attorney, bills of sale, business documents, corporate acknowledgements, etc. for use in the United States.
Affidavit
An Affidavit is a sworn statement, made by you.
Authentication
We cannot authenticate U.S. documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, death certificates, etc. Under the Hague Convention, only an apostil by a Secretary of State of an individual U.S. state certifies the authenticity of a U.S. document. We also cannot authenticate or verify academic transcripts or diplomas; only officials from the school or university can do that.
Certified True Copy
Please bring the original document with you.
Signature Guarantees
U.S. banks or mutual fund companies often require signature guarantees, sometimes called a medallion signature guarantee or a medallion stamp guarantee, before performing large financial transactions. A signature guarantee is more than a simple notarial, in which we verify that the person signing the form is who he or she claims to be. A signature guarantee is also a financial guarantee that the person signing the form has the financial resources to carry out the requested transaction. This guarantee can only be provided by your bank or other qualified financial institution. The Embassy is specifically prohibited from providing financial guarantees, so unfortunately we cannot legally perform a signature guarantee. For more information about signature guarantees, please see the web site of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.