A witness is not the notary

Some documents have lines for witnesses. A will, a power of attorney, or another paper may ask someone other than the signer to watch the signing and sign their own name. That person is a witness. I am the notary. Those are two different roles, and I do not fill both.

I do not bring a witness to the appointment. If the page has witness lines, you bring those people. They need to be in the room when the document is signed, and each one needs a current government photo ID. I do not choose them. I do not tell you who is allowed to serve. The document, or the office that will receive it, is where that answer comes from.

If a witness the document asks for is missing, I do not perform the act. There is no charge for an act that is not performed. We can set another time when every required person is present.

A witness line on the document is not the same thing as a person who identifies a signer. If a signer has no satisfactory photo ID, and I do not already know that signer, Texas law, in 1 Texas Administrative Code § 87.40, allows a credible witness to swear to the signer's identity. I do not bring that person either. A current government photo ID is the ordinary way to avoid that step.

I do not add witness lines that are not already on the page. I do not tell you that your document needs a witness, or how many it needs. That is legal advice. I am not an attorney licensed to practice law in Texas, and I may not give legal advice or accept a fee for legal advice.