For funeral homes
Funeral agent appointments: two witnesses and a notary
Since 2019, New Jersey lets a person appoint a funeral agent outside a will, but the form must be signed in front of at least two witnesses and notarized. We bring the notary and, if you ask, the two witnesses to your funeral home, the person's home or a care facility.
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 funeral homes bring us
Pre-need conversations are where this comes up: someone planning ahead wants a particular person to control the funeral and disposition, and the will isn't the right place, or there is no will. The appointment of a funeral agent goes on the form approved by the State Board of Mortuary Science, signed by the person and both witnesses, then notarized. If the person is in a hospital or nursing home, that is where the signing happens.
After a death the work changes: affidavits families sign for an out-of-state cemetery or a consulate, certified copies that need an apostille for burial abroad, and relatives in other states who need a notary for their part. Our funeral home partner page covers that side.
What we handle for you
- Mobile notary visit: the signing at your funeral home or the person's home.from $75, plus state notarial fees
- Hospital or care facility visit: bedside signings at hospitals, rehab centers and nursing homes.from $125, plus state notarial fees
- Witnesses for the signing: two adult witnesses brought along when the family can't supply them.from $40, per witness, booked with the visit or session
- Apostille handling: death certificates and affidavits prepared for use abroad.from $125, per document, plus state fees
- Remote online notarization by video: relatives out of state sign their own affidavits by video.from $40, per session, online, no travel
How ordering works
- Call or send the form, the person's location and whether you need witnesses from us.
- We confirm a time, quote the visit, witnesses and any facility fee, and you approve it.
- The person signs in front of the two witnesses and the notary; each witness signs; the notary completes the certificate.
- The original goes back to your file or the family, with a scan to you if you ask.
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 funeral homes 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
- N.J.S.A. 45:27-22, as amended by P.L.2019, c.187: the appointment is made in writing on a board-approved form, "in the presence of no less than two witnesses," and "shall be notarized." Source: P.L.2019, c.187 (N.J.S.A. 45:27-22)
- The notary confirms identity and that the signer understands and is willing; a notary may not give legal advice. Source: New Jersey Notary Public Manual (NJ Treasury)
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 choose the agent or advise the family on who should be named.
- We don't prepare the form; use the one the Board of Mortuary Science approved.
- The notary stops if the person can't understand what they're signing.
Related: Funeral home partners · Hospital and care facility visits · Witness services
FAQ
Questions from funeral homes
Does a funeral agent appointment have to be notarized in New Jersey?
Yes. When the appointment is made outside a will, N.J.S.A. 45:27-22 as amended in 2019 calls for two witnesses and notarization on a board-approved form.
Can you supply the witnesses?
Yes. Witnesses are an add-on at the per-witness price shown on this page.
Can it be done by video?
We recommend in person, because the statute requires the witnesses' presence and the receiving funeral home should be comfortable with the result. Ask us if a remote signing is the only option.
Can you come to a hospital or nursing home?
Yes, at the facility visit price, subject to the facility's visiting rules.
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.