Principal
Also called: signer
The individual who personally appears before a notary and signs — or acknowledges — the document being notarized. In power-of-attorney law, "principal" also means the person who grants authority to an attorney-in-fact, which is a different role than the notarial-act signer.
Keep the two meanings straight: in the notarial act itself, the principal is the person physically in front of you (§ 306). In a power of attorney, the principal is the grantor of authority, and the attorney-in-fact is the person executing the POA document in the principal’s name. When an attorney-in-fact signs for a principal, your notarial certificate identifies the attorney-in-fact as the signer acting “in a representative capacity” — not the principal (see § 302 definition of “in a representative capacity”).
Source: 57 Pa.C.S. § 306 — Personal appearance required — link
See also: personal-appearance, attorney-in-fact, power-of-attorney
This page is educational information, not legal advice. Pennsylvania notary law changes; always verify against the current version of RULONA (57 Pa.C.S. §§ 301–331) and 4 Pa. Code at pa.gov. Consult a PA-licensed attorney for specific situations.