Mobile Notary near Cheyney, PA

Cheyney is best known for Cheyney University. Founded in 1837, it’s the oldest of the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities, set in the wooded Thornbury countryside along the Chester-Delaware County line.

Between the campus community, faculty and staff households, and the surrounding rural homes, a come-to-you notary spares a trip for what’s usually a five-minute signature. I handle affidavits, acknowledgments, powers of attorney, copy certifications, and signature witnessing in person, whether that’s a home, an office, or somewhere convenient near campus. Because Cheyney sits toward the eastern edge of my area, I’ll confirm the flat travel fee before I head out, and I’m happy to schedule evenings and weekends.

Campus work brings one request more than any other: certified copies. Students and staff regularly need a copy of a transcript, a diploma, a passport, or an identity document certified for a graduate application, a licensing board, or an employer abroad. Pennsylvania is unusually clear about what I may and may not copy, and the answer is more generous than people expect.

Under 4 Pa. Code § 167.65 I compare your original against the copy, examine the original for alteration, and certify that the copy is complete and accurate. The regulation then lists what is permitted outright, and it covers nearly everything a campus asks for: transcripts, diplomas, passports, driver’s licenses, contracts, leases, bills of sale, medical records and consents, powers of attorney, and public records generally.

The prohibited list is short and specific. I may not issue a certified copy of a birth or death certificate, a United States Naturalization Certificate, any government-issued record marked “do not copy” or “illegal to copy,” or anything the law otherwise forbids copying. For a birth or death certificate, the Division of Vital Records is the only source. The naturalization certificate exclusion catches people out every year, so if that document is in your stack, tell me before we book.

One more thing to check with whoever is receiving it: some registrars and licensing boards want a sealed official copy issued by the institution rather than a third party’s certification, whatever the law allows me to do. Ask them what form they want first, and save yourself the appointment.

Where the receiving party is overseas, add a step. A notarized document bound for another country typically needs an apostille from the Pennsylvania Department of State on top of the notarization, and that has a lead time. Tell me the destination country when you book and I’ll word the certificate accordingly.

Bring a valid government-issued photo ID with you, and please leave anything that needs notarizing unsigned until we meet. All notarial acts are performed personally by Christopher J Abt, a Pennsylvania notary public, Commission #1470081.