For bail and surety agencies
Indemnity agreements and collateral papers for bail agencies
When a cosigner who lives in New Jersey signs an indemnity agreement for your agency or pledges real estate, you usually want the signature notarized, and a mortgage on New Jersey property must be acknowledged before the county clerk will record it. We meet the cosigner, notarize the papers you send, and can take the collateral mortgage to the county for recording.
Matthew Coleman, NJ Notary Public and NNA Certified Loan Signing Agent. Cranford, NJ. Fee confirmed before your session. Card charged only after it is complete. We aim to confirm within 15 minutes, 7am to 9pm.
What bail and surety agencies bring us
For a surety or bail agency the New Jersey end is usually a person, not a court: an indemnitor or cosigner living here who signs the indemnity agreement, a promissory note or a collateral receipt, and sometimes a mortgage or deed of trust on a house used as collateral. A court in the case's state may also have its own property affidavit; Rhode Island's, for instance, carries a notary block for the owner's sworn statement.
New Jersey itself sets very little money bail. Since Criminal Justice Reform took effect on January 1, 2017, pretrial release in the state's courts is mostly decided without it; the Judiciary's 2017 report counts 44 eligible defendants ordered to post monetary bail that year. Most requests on this page therefore come from agencies writing bonds in other states whose cosigners live in New Jersey.
What we handle for you
- Mobile notary visit: the cosigner signs at home, at work or at your local office.from $75, plus state notarial fees
- Remote online notarization by video: a video session where your agency and the document allow it.from $40, per session, online, no travel
- Document recording with the county: the collateral mortgage taken to the county clerk.from $50, per document, plus county fees
- Records retrieval: a copy of the recorded deed to see who holds title.from $65, per record, plus agency fees
- Courier for the originals: originals back to your office.from $60 per delivery within 20 miles
How ordering works
- Send the documents, the cosigner's name, phone and town, and which pages need a notary.
- We schedule the cosigner and quote the visit or session, plus recording if there is a mortgage.
- The notary checks ID, confirms the cosigner is signing willingly and notarizes the marked pages; nothing is explained or negotiated.
- Originals come back to you, and a mortgage goes to the county with the recording details returned to you.
One account for the whole office: ask for it with the form below, and once the desk has set it up your team orders in the client portal and gets one monthly invoice with your reference on each line. Until an account is approved for terms, jobs are paid when booked; approved accounts pay on net-30 terms, by card or ACH bank debit. New Jersey caps the fee for each notarial act; travel and service fees are separate and shown on the quote. See also business accounts and prepaid business plans.
Where we work
New Jersey is served directly from our desk in Cranford, with in-person visits on the schedule shown when you book. For bail and surety agencies with signers in other states, remote online notarization works anywhere the receiving office accepts it, and in-person signings outside New Jersey go through our notary network where we can find a commissioned notary. We confirm coverage before accepting a job, and say so plainly when we can't cover it.
What the rules say
- A mortgage on New Jersey real estate is recordable only if it is "acknowledged or proved" under Title 46. Source: N.J.S.A. 46:26A-3, prerequisites for recording
- Rhode Island's Affidavit for Bail, used when real property is posted as surety, is sworn by the owner and has a notary signature block. Source: Rhode Island Judiciary, Affidavit for Bail
- New Jersey Judiciary, 2017 Criminal Justice Reform report: 44 CJR-eligible defendants were ordered to post monetary bail in 2017. Source: NJ Judiciary, 2017 CJR annual report
Read on the official pages in November 2026. Rules and forms change, and the office receiving a document decides what it accepts. General information about our services, not legal advice; we are not lawyers.
What we don't do
- We don't write bonds, post bail or locate defendants.
- We don't explain the indemnity agreement or advise the cosigner; the notary stays impartial.
- We don't value or evaluate collateral.
Related: Document recording with the county · How to notarize a general affidavit
FAQ
Questions from bail and surety agencies
Does an indemnity agreement have to be notarized?
That's your agency's and your state's call. Many agencies want a notarized signature for proof of who signed. A mortgage on New Jersey real estate does have to be acknowledged before it can be recorded.
Can the notary explain the agreement to the cosigner?
No. A notary checks identity and willingness and completes the certificate. Questions about the agreement go back to your agency or the cosigner's own lawyer.
Do you handle bail in New Jersey courts?
No. We notarize documents and handle recording and courier errands. We don't post bail or deal with the case.
What does it cost?
The visit or remote session at the starting price shown here, plus recording at its starting price and the county's fee at cost when there's a mortgage. Each job is quoted before it's confirmed.
Before you send
- Opening an account is free. The desk reviews each request before any work is booked.
- Net-30 invoicing is for approved accounts. Until then, jobs are paid per job.
- Outside New Jersey we confirm coverage for each job before we accept it.
- We don't pay or accept referral fees, and we are not lawyers.
Prefer to talk?
Call the desk and we'll take the request by phone.