Question: My wife and I are in the process of getting a divorce.  We have a document that needs to be notarized, and it needs both of our signatures.  Is there some way that we can get it notarized without having to appear before a notary together?

Answer:  You will both have to appear before a notary to get the signatures notarized.  However, you don't have to appear before a notary together.  You don't even need to be in the same city.

This is referred to as a 'split signing'.

For example, Signer A appears before a notary in Colorado Springs to have her signature notarized on the document.  She sends it to Signer B who is living in Fort Collins.  Signer B takes the document to a notary and has his signature notarized.  The document has been signed by both parties and their signatures have been notarized.  They never saw each other the entire time.

Split signings can be done for many reasons.  In a real estate transaction, the wife may be in one state while her husband is in another state on business.  The wife can sign the loan documents, then have them overnighted to her husband to be signed.

Another reason for a split signing is if two people need to sign a document, but they work at different times and can't appear together before a notary.  I once did a closing like that.  I took the loan documents to the husband in the morning and had him sign them.  Then later that evening I brought the documents to the wife to have her sign them.

When two people need to have their signatures notarized, and simply can't appear together before a notary, a split signing is a solution.