The term "notarization" means very different things depending on the country you live in.

Outside the US this process can be lengthy and/or expensive as it can even result in official government stamps, translations, etc.

GP is in San Francisco. Standard notary fee is $20 in California, but some companies will subsidize it.

I feel sorry for those foreign countries where notaries are either rarified or unobtainably expensive, but it doesn't apply to this thread.

That said, I think Amazon's policy of notarization (at least in the US sense and fees) seems a reasonable policy from an account security standpoint. Not sure I can sympathize with GP who voluntarily added 2FA to their own Amazon account, then no longer had access to the phone number they previously used. $20 is not unreasonable for something that GP could have prevented with some forethought.

Yes, my bank branch notarizes for free.

This is quite different in Australia where notaries public are appointed either by the State Supreme Court or by an Archbishop. Almost all of which of which are solicitors or barristers, sometimes retired from practice.

As an Australian, if your workplace has a legal department - make friends with someone there.

It can save you a huge headache when you need to do something like apply for a home loan, and need tonnes of notarised papers.

In the US the bank sends a notary free of charge with all your paperwork to sign. What a pain that you don't get this service!