CORI Form Notary Service in Massachusetts
CORI form notarization for Massachusetts employers, schools, nonprofits and volunteers. Mobile or in-office in Tewksbury, same-day available, 7 days. Call (978) 424-4629.
A CORI form notary Massachusetts employers, landlords, schools and volunteer organizations will accept does one specific thing: verifies the identity of the person signing the CORI Acknowledgement Form and certifies that the signature was made in the notary’s presence. The Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS) requires that identity be checked against a government-issued photo ID before a criminal record check is run, and when the requesting organization cannot do that in person, the form must be notarized. We notarize CORI acknowledgment forms at our Tewksbury office for $45 per notarial act and at homes, workplaces and onboarding sessions across 177 Massachusetts cities and towns as a mobile service.
Hanson Webb has been a Massachusetts Notary Public since 2007, is NNA certified, background screened, bonded and insured, and has completed 1,190+ signings. He works in English, Arabic and French. Call (978) 424-4629 or (978) 851-0199, or book a CORI notarization online. Bring the unsigned form and a current photo ID; the whole appointment takes about ten minutes.
What is the Massachusetts CORI Acknowledgement Form?
The CORI Acknowledgement Form is the DCJIS document a person signs to authorize an employer, landlord, licensing body or volunteer organization to obtain his or her Massachusetts criminal offender record information. The requesting organization must have a signed acknowledgment on file before it submits a request through iCORI, and the form is valid for one year from the date of signature.
CORI is the Massachusetts record of criminal court appearances, maintained under M.G.L. c.6 ss.167 to 178 and the DCJIS regulations at 803 CMR 2.00. It is not an FBI fingerprint check and it is not a national database search; it covers Massachusetts court records only. The acknowledgment form exists because the law gives the subject of the record the right to know a check is being run, to be told who is running it and why, and to receive a copy of the results before any adverse decision is made.
What the form asks for
The current DCJIS form collects the information DCJIS uses to match you to the correct record: last, first and middle name, any former or maiden names, date and place of birth, the last six digits of your Social Security number (voluntary), sex, height, eye color, race, driver’s license or ID number and state, your mother’s full maiden name and father’s full name, and your current address with prior addresses where asked. It then has a signature block for you, a verification block for the requesting organization, and a notary block for use when the organization has not verified your identity in person. Read the version your organization gave you; DCJIS updates the form periodically.
Why the identity check matters
A CORI result attaches to a name, a date of birth and the other identifiers on the form. If the person who signed is not the person the record describes, an employer could hire someone on a clean record that belongs to somebody else, or reject someone on a record that is not theirs. DCJIS therefore requires the requestor to verify identity by examining a government-issued photo ID and to record on the form that it did so. When that is not possible in person, a notary performs the verification instead.
When does a CORI form need to be notarized?
The form must be notarized whenever the requesting organization is not able to verify your identity in person by examining your government-issued photo ID. In practice that means remote hires, out-of-state or out-of-area applicants, volunteers who cannot get to the organization’s office, and organizations whose written CORI policy requires notarization for everyone.
- Remote and hybrid hiring. A hospital system in Boston hires a nurse who lives in Lowell and completes onboarding online. HR never sees her ID in person, so the form is notarized.
- Applicants outside Massachusetts. A candidate relocating from New Hampshire or from abroad signs the form before a notary where he is, or on arrival, before the check is submitted.
- Volunteers. Youth sports leagues, scouting units, parish programs and mentoring organizations in Tewksbury, Andover, Billerica and Chelmsford collect dozens of forms each season. Volunteers who cannot attend a registration night get theirs notarized.
- Landlords and property managers. A housing CORI request for an applicant who applied online and has not yet toured in person.
- School placements. Student teachers, nursing students on clinical rotation and interns placed with a district or facility that requires its own check.
- Organizational policy. Some employers simply require a notarized form for every candidate so their verification step is uniform and documented.
If the organization has already verified your ID in person and signed the verification block, the form does not need a notary and we will tell you so when you call. We do not charge for an act you do not need.
When in doubt, ask the organization one question: “Will someone on your staff look at my photo ID in person before you submit the request?” If the answer is no, or the person is not sure, have the form notarized. A notarized form is never rejected for being notarized; an unverified form is rejected routinely.
What does the CORI form notary do, and what is the notary not doing?
The notary examines your government-issued photo ID, confirms that you are the person named on the form, watches you sign, and completes the notary block with the date, your name, the identification relied on, the notary’s signature, printed name, commission expiration and seal. The notary is performing an identity verification for DCJIS purposes; the notary is not a witness supplied to the employer and is not attesting to anything about your criminal history.
Three boundaries matter here, and we state them plainly because clients and HR departments sometimes assume otherwise.
- The notary does not run the CORI check. Only an organization registered with DCJIS can request CORI through iCORI. We have no access to the system and never see results.
- The notary does not vouch for the content. The acknowledgment form is an authorization and an identity record. The notary certifies who signed it and that the ID matched; nothing more.
- The notary is not the employer’s witness. Hire Mobile Notary never provides, supplies, brings, coordinates or serves as a witness for any document. If a form or policy requires witnesses in addition to a notary, the signer arranges them. The notary block on the CORI form is a notarial act under M.G.L. c.222, not a witness signature.
The notary block itself
The block records that on the stated date the named person personally appeared before the notary, proved identity through satisfactory evidence of identification (which the notary describes, for example “Massachusetts driver’s license”), and signed the form in the notary’s presence. It is completed in ink, signed exactly as Hanson’s commission reads, and sealed. He also records the act in his notary journal, which is required under Massachusetts law and is what allows an employer or DCJIS to verify the notarization later if a question arises.
Who asks for a notarized CORI form, and why?
Employers in healthcare, education, childcare, home care, transportation and security request CORI most often, because Massachusetts law requires or expects a check for those roles. Landlords, licensing agencies, camps and volunteer organizations that work with children, elders or people with disabilities follow close behind.
| Requester | Why the check is run | When the form is usually signed | Typical notarization situation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies | Required for direct-care roles; long-term care facilities must check CORI before hiring under Massachusetts law | After a conditional offer, before the start date | Remote onboarding; traveling nurses; staff hired from out of state |
| Public and private schools, districts, charter schools | M.G.L. c.71 s.38R requires CORI checks for school employees and volunteers who may have direct and unmonitored contact with children | Before the first day; renewed every three years for many districts | Substitute teachers covering several districts; student teachers; coaches hired mid-season |
| Childcare centers, camps, after-school programs | Required under Department of Early Education and Care and camp licensing rules | Before hire and periodically | Seasonal camp staff hired from colleges across New England |
| Youth sports leagues, scouting, parish and mentoring programs | Organizational policy and insurer requirements for adults working with minors | Each season or each year | Volunteers who miss registration night; coaches relocating into town |
| Landlords, property managers, housing authorities | Housing CORI for applicants, within the limits DCJIS sets for housing requesters | With the rental application | Applicants who applied online before visiting |
| Transportation, rideshare, school bus and livery operators | Required for drivers transporting students or vulnerable passengers; part of RMV and municipal licensing | At application and renewal | Drivers covering multiple districts; renewals done by mail |
| Security, financial services, cannabis and gaming licensees | Required or expected by the licensing authority | At application | Multi-state employers with centralized HR |
| Colleges and universities | Clinical placements, residence life, campus employment with minors | Before placement | Students completing paperwork from campus or from home over the summer |
| Foreign employers and consulates | A “police certificate” from the applicant’s home state for a work visa or residency | With the visa application | The applicant requests his own CORI, then has the record or a sworn statement notarized and apostilled |
That last row is a different service from the acknowledgment form. When a foreign employer wants your record itself, you request your own CORI from DCJIS, we notarize the record or a sworn statement about it, and the Secretary of the Commonwealth apostilles the notarization. See our Massachusetts apostille service page for that process.
What should you bring to a CORI form notarization?
Bring the CORI Acknowledgement Form filled in but unsigned, and a current government-issued photo ID with your signature on it. The name on the ID should match the name you wrote on the form. That is all that is needed; the appointment takes about ten minutes.
- The form your organization gave you. Use their copy, not one downloaded from a different year. Complete every applicable field in ink or type it before printing. Leave the signature line blank.
- Acceptable ID. Satisfactory evidence of identity under M.G.L. c.222 means a current document issued by a federal or state government bearing your photograph and signature: a Massachusetts driver’s license or ID card, another state’s license, a U.S. or foreign passport, a permanent resident card, a military ID. Our guide to what ID is accepted for notarization in Massachusetts covers expired documents and name changes.
- Name consistency. If you recently married or changed your name and your ID still shows the old one, list the former name in the “former names” field and bring the ID you have. The notary records what the ID says.
- Do not sign early. The notary block states that you signed in the notary’s presence. A pre-signed form has to be re-signed on a fresh line, which some HR systems reject.
- Multiple forms. A substitute teacher working in three districts, or a nurse with two agencies, signs a separate form for each requester. Each is a separate notarial act. Bring them all to one appointment.
A notary cannot help you decide what to disclose, interpret the form’s legal language, or advise you about your record. Those questions go to the requesting organization or to an attorney.
Employer compliance basics for CORI in Massachusetts
An organization that wants to run CORI must register with DCJIS, obtain a signed acknowledgment from each subject, verify identity, keep the forms for the required retention period, and follow DCJIS rules before taking adverse action. Organizations that run five or more checks a year must also maintain a written CORI policy. A notarized form satisfies the identity verification step when in-person verification is not practical.
- Register on iCORI. Employers, landlords and volunteer organizations register through the DCJIS iCORI portal and are assigned an access level (standard or required) based on the type of organization and the positions involved. DCJIS charges a per-request fee to most organizations; some qualify for fee waivers.
- Acknowledgment first, request second. The signed and verified (or notarized) form must be on file before the request is submitted. DCJIS may audit requesters and ask to see the forms.
- Ban the box. Under M.G.L. c.151B, Massachusetts employers may not ask about criminal history on an initial written application. The CORI form is signed after a conditional offer or at the stage the organization’s policy sets, not with the first application.
- Written policy for five or more checks a year. The policy must be provided to the applicant, and it describes how CORI is used in decisions.
- Before adverse action. The organization must give the person a copy of the CORI, a copy of its CORI policy, information about the right to dispute the record, and an opportunity to respond before deciding not to hire, house or place the person.
- Retention and destruction. Acknowledgment forms are kept for the period DCJIS requires and then destroyed; CORI results are kept no longer than DCJIS allows and are shared only with people who need them.
- Re-checks within the year. The acknowledgment allows the organization to run the check again within 12 months, but it must notify the subject in writing at least 72 hours before doing so.
These are the basics as published by DCJIS, not legal advice. Employers with questions about their obligations should read 803 CMR 2.00 or consult employment counsel. What we provide is the notarial act: a correctly completed notary block that will pass an audit.
How does iCORI work with a notarized acknowledgment form?
iCORI is the DCJIS online system through which registered organizations submit CORI requests and receive results. The organization enters the identifying information from the acknowledgment form into iCORI; the form itself stays in the organization’s files as proof of authorization and identity verification. The notary block on the form is what the organization relies on when it certifies in iCORI that identity was verified.
For the person being checked, this means the notarized form is handed back to the requester, not to DCJIS. You do not mail it anywhere, and we do not transmit it. Give the original to HR or the organization and keep a copy for yourself. If the requester accepts scanned forms, a scan of the notarized original is usually fine, but the organization must keep the original available for audit.
Requesting your own CORI
Individuals can request their own CORI from DCJIS through iCORI or by mail. The personal request form has its own notary block when it is submitted by mail, because DCJIS must verify that the person requesting the record is the subject. We notarize personal CORI request forms the same way we notarize acknowledgment forms: ID, signature in our presence, complete notary block, journal entry.
CORI form notary Massachusetts pricing and turnaround
At our Tewksbury office, a CORI form notarization is $45 per notarial act, by appointment Monday through Friday, and you leave with the completed form. As a mobile service, we come to you 7 days a week: from $125 in Zone 1, from $179 in Zone 2 and from $250 in Zone 3, each including travel, one notary seal and 15 minutes of service.
- Zone 1, from $125 per visit: Tewksbury, Gardner, Ashby and Athol.
- Zone 2, from $179 per visit: Lowell, Billerica, Andover, Chelmsford, Dracut, Lawrence, Worcester, Fitchburg, Leominster, Concord, Burlington, Woburn and more than 40 other towns. Our most-booked zone.
- Zone 3, from $250 per visit: Boston, Cambridge, Newton, Lexington, Wellesley, Weston, Lynn, Gloucester, North Andover and more than 110 others. Hospital and nursing-home visits included.
Additional seals and time beyond the included 15 minutes are quoted before the visit. For a single form, the in-office rate at 1215 Main St, Suite 115, Tewksbury is the economical choice; details are on our in-office notary service page.
Turnaround
There is no processing time for the notarization itself. You walk in with the form and walk out with it notarized. Same-day office appointments are often available; same-day and after-hours mobile visits are confirmed by phone. The CORI check that follows is run by the organization through iCORI, and its timing is set by DCJIS and the organization, not by us.
Group onboarding and volunteer registration nights
Employers onboarding a cohort, school districts at the start of the year, camps in May and June, and youth leagues at registration all have the same problem: twenty to two hundred forms, each needing an ID check and a signature in front of a notary. We set up at your site, in Lowell, Andover, Burlington, Woburn, Worcester or anywhere in our service area, and process each person in a few minutes. Multi-form sessions are quoted by the number of acts and the time on site; call for a quote and see our business and corporate notary services page for how we work with HR departments.
CORI forms and I-9 verification at the same appointment
New hires in Massachusetts often need two identity-based steps on the same day: the CORI acknowledgment and the Form I-9 employment eligibility verification. They are different acts. The CORI form is notarized under M.G.L. c.222; the I-9 is completed by an employer-authorized representative examining original identity and work-authorization documents, and it is not notarized. We can do both in one visit when the employer has designated us as its authorized representative for the I-9. See our I-9 form notary service for how that designation works.
A few other documents commonly travel with the CORI form: a Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Information (SORI) consent, a driving record release, a professional license verification, and in healthcare a fingerprint-based national check through the state’s vendor. Only the documents with a notary block are notarized; the rest are employer forms. Bring everything and we will sort out which is which.
Massachusetts is an attorney-closing state, and we keep to the same discipline in employment paperwork as in real estate: we perform the notarial act requested, we do not give legal advice, and we leave policy questions to the employer and its counsel.
Frequently asked questions
Does a CORI form need to be notarized in Massachusetts?
Only when the requesting organization cannot verify your identity in person by examining your government-issued photo ID. DCJIS requires identity verification before a CORI request is submitted, and the notary block on the acknowledgment form is the alternative when in-person verification is not practical, such as remote hiring, out-of-state applicants or volunteers who cannot attend a registration session.
What does a CORI form notary Massachusetts organizations accept actually certify?
That you appeared in person, proved your identity through satisfactory evidence of identification, and signed the form in the notary’s presence. The notary records the type of ID used, signs, seals and enters the act in a journal. The notary does not run the check, see the results, or attest to anything about your record.
Is the notary acting as a witness for my employer?
No. The notary block is a notarial act under M.G.L. c.222, an identity verification for DCJIS purposes. Hire Mobile Notary never provides, supplies, brings, coordinates or serves as a witness for any document. If a form or an organization’s policy requires witnesses in addition to the notary, you arrange your own witnesses.
What ID do I need?
A current government-issued identification with your photograph and signature: a Massachusetts or other state driver’s license or ID card, a U.S. or foreign passport, a permanent resident card or a military ID. The name on the ID should match the name on the form; list former names in the field provided if they differ.
How much does CORI form notarization cost?
$45 per notarial act at our Tewksbury office. Mobile visits are from $125 in Zone 1 (Tewksbury, Gardner, Ashby, Athol), from $179 in Zone 2 (Lowell, Billerica, Andover, Worcester, Burlington, Woburn and more) and from $250 in Zone 3 (Boston, Cambridge, Newton, Lexington, Wellesley, Weston, Lynn, Gloucester and more), including travel, one seal and 15 minutes. Group sessions are quoted by the number of forms.
Can I sign the form before I arrive?
No. The notary block states that you signed in the notary’s presence. Fill in every other field in advance, but leave the signature line blank until you are in front of Hanson. If you have already signed, you will sign again on a fresh line, and some HR systems will ask for a clean form instead.
Who gets the notarized form?
The requesting organization. You hand the original to HR, the landlord, the school or the volunteer coordinator, who keeps it on file as proof of authorization and identity verification and enters your information into iCORI. The form is not sent to DCJIS and we do not transmit it anywhere. Keep a copy for yourself.
How long is a CORI acknowledgment form valid?
One year from the date you sign it. Within that year the organization may run the check again, but it must notify you in writing at least 72 hours beforehand. After a year, a new form, and a new identity verification or notarization, is required.
Can you come to our workplace to notarize forms for a group of new hires or volunteers?
Yes. We set up at employer sites, schools, camps and volunteer registration events anywhere in our 177-town service area, verify each person’s ID, and complete the notary block on each form in a few minutes per person. Sessions are quoted by the number of acts and the time on site. Call (978) 424-4629 to schedule.
Can you notarize a CORI record for use in another country?
Yes. When a foreign employer or consulate wants your Massachusetts record for a visa or residency application, you request your own CORI from DCJIS, we notarize the record or a sworn statement about it, and the Secretary of the Commonwealth apostilles the notarization for a $6 state fee plus our service fee. Tell us the destination country so we can confirm the correct sequence.
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