A notary is an impartial witness to the signing or certification of a legal document.
Examples that require notaries include real estate transactions, affidavits, wills, trusts and powers of attorney.
Notaries must be at least 18 years of age and must reside in the state where they are licensed. After that, the steps to become a notary differ from state to state.
The National Association of Notaries (NNA) is a good resource for education and information about notaries.