Not required, but recommended.
A signature is presumed genuine if acknowledged before a notary; the section doesn't make notarization a condition of validity.
In the official wording
"is presumed to be genuine if the principal acknowledges the signature before a notary public."
From the official pages listed below, checked November 2026.
What else the signing needs
- Witnesses
- None under the execution rule we read. The execution section doesn't mention witnesses.
"shall be signed by the principal or in the principal's conscious presence by another individual."
- Agent's acknowledgment
- An agent accepts by acting or other conduct showing acceptance.
"accepts appointment as an agent under a power of attorney by exercising authority or performing duties as an agent"
- Recording for real estate
- Chapter 551E has no requirement to record the power of attorney and doesn't mention the Bureau of Conveyances.
- Official form
- Statutory form power of attorney (HRS 551E-51). Section 551E-51 sets out a form that may be used. Open the official form
- Durable after incapacity
- Durable unless the document says incapacity ends it.
"shall be durable unless it expressly provides that it is terminated by the incapacity of the principal."
Next step
Sign by video with our New Jersey notary while you're in Hawaii, 7 AM to 9 PM Eastern, seven days a week, by appointment. New Jersey law lets a New Jersey notary notarize for a signer located in another state (N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10). How Hawaii treats it: Hawaii lets an acknowledgment made in another state be taken before an officer authorized there. If the certificate is good where it was made, the instrument can be recorded in Hawaii, and the officer's signature is prima facie evidence of authority. More on Hawaii signers.
If the agent will use it for real estate, ask the title company or the Bureau of Conveyances before you sign.
Book an online notarization Request a mobile notary in Hawaii
In person, we look for a notary commissioned in Hawaii near you; you approve the price first.
If a local notary in Hawaii does it: Taking an acknowledgment, for each party signing, $5; Acknowledgment certificate on each duplicate original beyond one, for each person acknowledging, $2.50, under the state's fee rules (Hawaii notary fees).
And a health care power of attorney?
A notary or witnesses. Two witnesses or a notary. Witnesses can't be the health care agent, a provider or a facility employee; one can't be a relative or heir.
"If you do not have 2 witnesses, your Advance Directive must be notarized."
Two adult witnesses if you don't use a notary.
From Advance Health Care Directive form (Hawaii Executive Office on Aging). A health care document follows its own signing rule, separate from the financial one.
Official sources
- HRS chapter 551E, Uniform Power of Attorney Act (Hawaii State Legislature) (checked November 2026)
- Advance Health Care Directive form (Hawaii Executive Office on Aging) (checked November 2026)
We are not lawyers, and this is general information, not legal advice. Checked November 2026. Rules change, and whoever receives the document decides what it accepts; we can't guarantee acceptance.
Common questions
Is notarization required for a power of attorney in Hawaii?
Not required, but recommended. A signature is presumed genuine if acknowledged before a notary; the section doesn't make notarization a condition of validity.
Are witnesses needed for a Hawaii power of attorney?
None under the execution rule we read. The execution section doesn't mention witnesses.
Does the agent sign anything in Hawaii?
An agent accepts by acting or other conduct showing acceptance.
Does a Hawaii power of attorney have to be recorded for a house sale?
Chapter 551E has no requirement to record the power of attorney and doesn't mention the Bureau of Conveyances.
Does a medical power of attorney need a notary in Hawaii?
A notary or witnesses. Two witnesses or a notary. Witnesses can't be the health care agent, a provider or a facility employee; one can't be a relative or heir.
Can I sign a Hawaii power of attorney with an online notary?
Our New Jersey notary can notarize it by video while you're in Hawaii. Hawaii lets an acknowledgment made in another state be taken before an officer authorized there. If the certificate is good where it was made, the instrument can be recorded in Hawaii, and the officer's signature is prima facie evidence of authority.
Keep going
- Signing checklist
- Power of attorney rules in every state
- A car title in Hawaii
- A bill of sale in Hawaii
- A will in Hawaii
A power of attorney in another state: Georgia · Idaho · every state