Posted by CopperheadVA on 7/18/12 3:40pm
Msg #427309

Received 2 calls today from "The Beaches" resort

telling me that they have a couple who is imminently traveling to Jamaica to get married and they have an emergency in that they need certified copies of their birth certificates and I think also a divorce decree. I guess my first answer, telling them that it is not allowed for a VA notary to certify copies of those documents, was not good enough. The first caller also asked where they could obtain the certified copies and I said they could only be obtained at the state vital records department where the birth occurred, and the county courthouse where the divorce was filed. I guess they kept calling around trying to find a notary that would give them a different answer, because about 20 minutes later another person from The Beaches called me and began with the same questions.

I told him that someone else had already called, and what they were asking for would be a CRIME for a VA notary to comply with their request. He said thank you for your time and hung up. Wonder if they continued calling around? Probably did.

Reply by MW/VA on 7/18/12 3:52pm
Msg #427312

I guess that's the problem with "destination" weddings. It's a good thing you know it isn't legal to make copies of vital records. They will call around until they find someone who doesn't know that, I suppose. Again, that will only mean that it isn't legal.