Hospital & Care Facility Notary — We Come to the Bedside
Some notarizations cannot wait for a discharge date. When a patient needs a power of attorney, an advance health care directive or another time-sensitive document signed from a hospital bed or a care facility room, The OC Notary travels to the patient. We have provided mobile notary services across Orange County and West LA since 2001, we are available 24/7, and hospital and care facility notarizations are a regular part of our work. Call 714-253-7618 and we will help your family get the appointment set up.
How Families Book a Hospital Notarization
Most hospital appointments are booked by a spouse, an adult child, another family member or an attorney — not by the patient. When you call 714-253-7618 or book online, tell us the facility name and city, the patient’s room if you know it, the documents involved, and how urgent the signing is. We will agree on an appointment time, confirm who will meet the notary at the facility, and explain exactly what the signer needs. If the patient is in a facility in Orange County or in West LA — including Marina del Rey, Venice and Santa Monica — we cover it as part of our regular service area, day or night.
ID Options for Patients
A notary must verify the signer’s identity at the appointment. The standard is a valid, government-issued photo ID, such as a current driver’s license or passport — see our ID requirements page for details. Hospital patients, however, do not always have their wallet with them, and IDs are sometimes expired or held by family. Tell us about the ID situation when you book, not when we arrive: in some circumstances California law allows identity to be established through credible witnesses who know the signer and can be properly identified themselves. We will explain, based on what you tell us, whether the appointment can proceed and what to have ready, so nobody is surprised at the bedside.
Witnesses — Plan Them Ahead
Some documents signed in medical settings — advance health care directives are the common example — require witnesses in addition to, or instead of, notarization, and facilities often have their own rules about who may act as a witness. Family members are frequently not the right witnesses for a patient’s own documents. When you book, tell us which documents are being signed and we will flag whether witnesses are likely to be needed, so you can line up eligible, disinterested witnesses before the appointment. Arranging witnesses in advance is the single best way to keep a hospital signing from being delayed.
What We Notarize in Hospitals & Care Facilities
Common bedside documents include advance health care directives, durable powers of attorney, HIPAA authorizations, living trusts and other estate-planning documents (see our estate planning notary page), consent and records forms, and real estate documents when a transaction cannot wait. A note on our role: the notary verifies identity, witnesses signatures and completes the notarization. The notary cannot give legal or medical advice, draft documents, or decide whether a document is the right one — those questions go to the family’s attorney or the facility’s social worker.
Fees Snapshot
Hospital and care facility appointments carry a $40 facility fee, plus the $100 travel fee within our service area. Notarization is $15 per notarized signature through December 31, 2026, and weekend or after-hours rates may apply. Full pricing is on our Fees & Payment page.
Book a Hospital or Care Facility Visit
Call 714-253-7618 any time — we answer around the clock — or book an appointment online. Have the documents ready, the signer’s ID (or a plan for witnesses) sorted out, and a family member available to meet us. The OC Notary comes to hospitals and care facilities across Orange County and West LA, 24/7.