Yes. A Florida notary public can perform a notarization anywhere in the state, including a hospital room, a rehabilitation hospital, a nursing home or an assisted-living apartment. Mobile notaries do this every week in Jacksonville, at Mayo Clinic, Baptist, UF Health, Ascension St. Vincent's, Brooks Rehabilitation and the care communities around them.
What the notary must confirm
- Identity: valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID, or two credible witnesses where the law allows.
- Presence: the signer must appear before the notary. At a hospital, that means at the bedside; some documents can instead be signed through an authorized remote online session.
- Capacity and willingness: the signer must appear to understand the nature and effect of the document and be signing willingly. A notary may not notarize for a signer who appears mentally incapable of understanding it (Florida Statutes 117.107).
- A complete document: no blank sections.
What to have at the bedside
- The patient's photo ID (families often leave it at home)
- The complete, unsigned document; most facilities cannot print for you
- The witnesses the document requires; hospital staff usually may not witness
- Permission from the nurses' station and a note of visiting hours
When the signing cannot proceed
If the patient is sedated, unresponsive or confused about what they are signing, the notary must stop. A careful notary will tell the family plainly. Options then include returning when the patient is alert or talking to the family's attorney about alternatives.
Florida Statutes 117.05 and 117.107.
This is educational information only, not legal advice. Coquina Notary is not an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Florida, and may not give legal advice or accept fees for legal advice.