A Notary Public is a legally authorized individual appointed by the government (usually by a court or legal authority) to serve as an impartial witness in performing a range of official fraud-deterrent acts related to the signing of important documents. These acts are known as notarizations or notarial acts.                                                                                                                                                                                  
1. Witnessing signatures on legal documents such as contracts, deeds, powers of attorney, and affidavits.

2. Administering oaths and affirmations for affidavits and statutory declarations.

3. Certifying copies of original documents as true copies.

4. Attesting documents for use abroad (often with a notarial certificate and sometimes further legalized with an apostille).

5. Preventing fraud by verifying the identity and willingness of the signer.