The document and the certificate are different things
The document you sign can be in Spanish, in English, or bilingual. The notarial certificate — the block with the wording, the seal and the signature — is completed in English, because that is what Florida requires and what receiving offices here expect.
That surprises people whose consulate asked for everything in Spanish. It is normal, and the apostille that goes on top later is itself a standard international form.
The notary has to communicate with the signer directly
This is the part that stops appointments. A notary must be able to confirm, directly with the signer, that they understand what they are signing and are doing it willingly. Working through a friend who translates is not the same thing, and many notaries will decline.
Because I work in Spanish and English, that conversation happens directly, without an intermediary and without anybody nodding along to a language they do not follow.
Translation is a separate service
If the receiving office wants the document in the other language, that is a translation, not a notarial act. A notary cannot certify that a translation is accurate, and cannot notarize their own signature on a translator's certificate.
I can translate between English and Spanish and provide the certificate of accuracy. When that certificate must itself be notarized, a second notary does it.
A word about the title
You will see Florida notaries advertising in Spanish as "notario". Florida law prohibits that, because in many Spanish-speaking countries a notario is a qualified lawyer with far broader powers, and the confusion has cost people dearly.
That is why every page of this site says Notary Public, untranslated, even in Spanish. It is a legal requirement, and it is also the honest description of what this office is and is not.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you notarize a power of attorney written in Spanish?
- Yes. The document stays in Spanish and the notarial certificate is completed in English.
- Do I need to bring an interpreter?
- Not with me. I handle the appointment in Spanish directly, which is exactly what the rules prefer.
- Will the receiving office abroad accept an English certificate?
- Usually yes, especially with an apostille. Some ask for a translation of the certificate too; ask them before you sign.
- Why do you never write "notario"?
- Because Florida law prohibits it, and because it would suggest powers a Notary Public does not have.