BUSINESS SIGNINGS
Liquor License Notary for ABCC CORI Forms
A liquor license application in Massachusetts stalls without a notarized CORI form from every required owner and manager. As your liquor license notary, we bring the forms to each signer, at your restaurant, store, office or hotel, and return them exactly as your attorney or licensing coordinator directs.
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LIQUOR LICENSES
Every signer, on your timeline
For restaurant groups, hotels, retailers and their counsel
- ABCC CORI forms notarized with stamp and seal
- Signed at your restaurant, store or hotel
- Before opening or after closing
- Scans emailed, originals returned on your label
How we handle liquor license notarizations
A Massachusetts liquor license application cannot move forward until every required individual’s CORI form is signed and notarized. We coordinate those signatures across owners, officers and managers, often on short notice, and return the originals exactly as your attorney or licensing coordinator directs.
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Send us the forms and the list of signers
Email the CORI forms and any other documents requiring a notary, with each signer’s name and the entity they are signing for. We confirm how many forms each person signs, since an individual involved in more than one licensed entity may complete a form for each.
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We print and prepare
We print the forms when needed and check that every field the applicant must complete is filled in before the notary signs, because a notary may not notarize a blank or incomplete form.
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We meet each signer
At your restaurant, store, office, hotel or home across Greater Boston, including before service or after closing. Each signer presents a current government-issued photo ID and signs in our presence.
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Notarized with stamp and seal
Each form is notarized with our official stamp, as the ABCC’s CORI form requires, and the certificate is completed in full.
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Scanned and returned
Scans of the completed documents are emailed to you before they ship. Originals go back on your prepaid label, or by our tracked shipment, to your attorney, licensing coordinator or local licensing authority.
Liquor license notary requirements in Massachusetts
Retail alcoholic beverages licenses in Massachusetts are issued by the city or town’s local licensing authority and approved by the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC). The local licensing authority holds the initial hearing and votes to approve or disapprove; an approved application then goes to the ABCC, which investigates the applicant, the premises and the source of financing before the Commission votes.
Part of that investigation is a criminal record check. The ABCC’s instructions for a new or transfer retail license call for a CORI form for each individual with a beneficial interest in the applicant entity, and for the proposed manager of record. The ABCC states that the form “must be notarized with a stamp or raised seal.” Officers and directors of non-profit clubs who hold no ownership interest are not required to complete one.
Because applications for restaurant groups and multi-unit operators often involve several people and several entities, the notarization step can quietly become the item that holds a filing back. This page explains how we handle liquor license notarizations for applicants, their attorneys and licensing coordinators. For CORI request forms in other contexts, such as employment or housing, see notary for CORI request forms.
From our recent work
Both examples below are real matters. Client details are kept confidential.
A restaurant group’s CEO, two Massachusetts LLCs
The legal team of a national restaurant group arranged for its chief executive to sign ABCC CORI forms for two Massachusetts LLCs during a visit to Boston. We met him at one of the group’s Boston restaurants, within the window his schedule allowed.
A second signer added the day before
The day before that signing, the group added two more CORI forms for its LLC manager. We notarized all four forms in the same visit, emailed scans to the legal team and returned the originals on the group’s prepaid label, switching to an updated label when the destination changed after the signing.
A Berkshires license that needed a fresh form
A hospitality company seeking a license for a property in the Berkshires learned that a CORI form signed earlier by an individual named in its application was too old: its licensing contact explained the form had to be dated within the past year for the license to issue. We printed the new form and notarized it at the signer’s location two days after his first call.
Details the licensing contact asked for
That form asked for personal details, including the signer’s mother’s maiden name, which the company’s licensing contact had reminded him to include. We confirmed every applicant field was complete before notarizing, so it was ready to go to the company’s licensing office in Montreal.
Preparing a liquor license application?
Send us the forms and the list of signers. We schedule every signature around your filing date.
Situations we handle
These are the kinds of requests that come up in liquor license applications. They describe the service, not specific past cases.
New licenses
Every individual with a beneficial interest and the proposed manager of record signs a CORI form, often across several locations and schedules.
License transfers
A buyer’s owners and proposed manager complete their forms while the transaction documents are being finalized.
Changes in officers, managers or ownership
Incoming officers, directors, LLC managers or owners sign the forms the application calls for.
Out-of-state executives
Officers of national restaurant and hotel groups sign while visiting Boston, at a property or hotel.
Multiple entities
Individuals involved in more than one licensed entity sign a form for each, all in one visit.
Renewed or re-dated forms
A form that has become too old for the authority to accept is re-executed quickly so the application can proceed.
Who typically signs, and what we need from each
Your attorney or the local licensing authority decides which forms each person completes. These are the signers we see most often.
| Signer | What they usually sign | What to bring |
|---|---|---|
| Individuals with a beneficial interest | A CORI form, notarized, for each applicable entity | Current government-issued photo ID |
| Proposed manager of record | A CORI form, notarized | Current government-issued photo ID |
| Officers, directors and LLC managers | The forms the application requires for their role | Current government-issued photo ID; their exact title |
| Officer signing for the entity | Application documents or affidavits that call for a notarized signature on behalf of the company | Current government-issued photo ID; confirmation of authority if requested |
In Massachusetts, a signer’s identity is established by a current government-issued document bearing a photograph, or by the oath of a credible witness who has no interest in the transaction. See ID requirements for notarization.
Mistakes that delay a liquor license filing
- Notarizing an incomplete form. Every applicant field, including personal details such as a mother’s maiden name or prior addresses, must be completed before the notary signs.
- Forms that are too old. Licensing authorities may require recent forms. Re-executing a form signed long before the filing is better than having the application returned.
- Missing a signer. Each individual with a beneficial interest and the proposed manager of record typically completes a form. Confirm the list with your attorney before scheduling.
- One form for two entities. When a person is involved in more than one applicant entity, confirm whether a separate form is needed for each.
- Signing before the appointment. The form should be signed in the notary’s presence.
- A notary seal that is not legible. The ABCC requires a stamp or raised seal; we make sure the impression is clear.
- Expired identification. The ID must be current. Check expiration dates before the appointment.
- Originals sent to the wrong office. Return instructions change as filings progress. Confirm the destination, and we will use the label you provide.
Working toward a licensing hearing date?
Tell us the date. We will tell you plainly how quickly every signer can be scheduled.
Scheduling around a restaurant or hospitality business
Restaurant owners, general managers and executives rarely have a free hour during service. We schedule notarizations before opening, between lunch and dinner, after closing or at a hotel near the property, and we keep each appointment brief by arriving with the forms already reviewed and printed.
For groups with several signers in different places, we schedule each person separately and track which forms are complete, so your coordinator receives one consolidated set of scans rather than a series of partial updates.
When the signing is for a group based outside Massachusetts, we work directly with the legal or licensing team that sent the forms. We send scans as soon as the documents are signed, and we return the originals on the label provided or by our own tracked shipment.
Signers outside Massachusetts or abroad
Our notaries are commissioned in Massachusetts and notarize for signers who are here. When an owner or officer is in another state, we coordinate a trusted notary there and manage the process, so your team keeps one point of contact.
Foreign owners sometimes need to sign while traveling. If an investor is passing through Boston, we meet them at their hotel. When a licensing authority asks for documents issued abroad, such as foreign police certificates, those are matters for your attorney; we can provide certified translation of foreign-language records when the application calls for it.
What to send us before the appointment
- The CORI forms and any other documents requiring a notary, unsigned
- Each signer’s name as it appears on their government-issued photo ID, and their role
- The entity or entities each person is signing for
- Where each signer will be, and their availability
- The return address or prepaid label, and your filing or hearing date
We are notaries and document specialists, not attorneys. We do not prepare license applications or advise on eligibility; your attorney or the local licensing authority decides what the application requires.
Related services
- CORI request forms: for employment, housing and other uses
- Corporate notary services: for companies and their counsel
- Business loan closings: financing for a new location
- On-site corporate signings: many signers in one visit
- Board resolutions: authority to sign for the entity
- ID requirements: what signers must bring
- After-hours notary: before opening and after closing
- Law firms: notary services for counsel
Official sources
- Mass.gov: apply for an alcoholic beverages retail license, new or transfer
- Mass.gov: apply for an alcoholic beverages retail license online
- M.G.L. c. 222, § 16: prohibited notarial acts, including incomplete documents
- M.G.L. c. 222, § 1: definitions, including satisfactory evidence of identity
Requirements change, and the receiving office always has the final word. We link to official sources so you can check the current rules yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Does the ABCC CORI form need to be notarized?
Yes. The ABCC’s instructions for retail license applications state that the CORI form must be notarized with a stamp or raised seal.
Who has to fill out a CORI form for a Massachusetts liquor license?
For a new or transfer retail license, each individual with a beneficial interest in the applicant entity completes one, as does the proposed manager of record. Your attorney or the local licensing authority confirms the list for your application.
Can you come to our restaurant to notarize the forms?
Yes. We meet signers at the restaurant, store, office, hotel or home across Greater Boston, including before opening or after closing.
Can you print the forms for us?
Yes. Send the forms by email and we will print them and bring them to the appointment.
Our CORI form was signed a while ago. Can we use it?
Licensing authorities may require a recent form. In one matter we handled, the licensing contact required the form to be dated within the past year, so the signer completed a new one.
What ID does each signer need?
A current government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport. Massachusetts also permits identification through a credible witness who has no interest in the transaction.
Can one person sign forms for two entities in one visit?
Yes. When an individual is involved in more than one applicant entity, we notarize each form in the same appointment.
Can you send scans and return the originals?
Yes. We email scans of the completed forms and return the originals on your prepaid label or by our tracked shipment.
Do you prepare liquor license applications?
No. We are notaries, not attorneys. Your attorney or licensing coordinator prepares the application; we make sure the documents requiring a notary are executed correctly.
Need liquor license documents notarized?
Send us the forms, the list of signers and your filing date.