The date the notarization took place ( which is when the signer signs the notary journal and when the notary completes a notary certificate and affixes their seal to the certificate ) could be after a document is signed in the case of an acknolwedged signature. It is often also different than the document date. Just make sure you don't notarize a document before its signed, otherwise you can get in trouble. Many notaries like to save time at a loan signing by notarizing the documents in a loan package before they arrive at the signing. What if a signer forgets to sign a document, or what if the signing gets cancelled. Then, you have many documents to destroy, and you broke the law as well.