After getting a call from a friend or relative that has been arrested, you may have been asked if you would help post bail for that individual so they can get out of jail while awaiting their court date. However, although you may be willing to take a chance, you may discover that the amount of bail is higher than the cash you have on hand. If so, you will need to seek help from a bail bondsman. Before going to their office, it can help if you already have a couple of pieces of information available.

1.  Inmate's Personal and Arrest Information

The first bit of information the bondsman will likely ask you to provide is your friend or relative's personal information. You will need to give them the inmate's name, address, and other identifying information.

However, in order to post bail, the bond service will also need a few details about their arrest. You will need their inmate number, which you can get by calling the jail. You should also give them an overview of the charges as this bit of information may impact the fee they charge, especially if the crime for which the person was arrested was serious.

2.  Documentation of Something You Can Put Up for Collateral

Since the bail amount is higher than the amount of money you have on hand, you will need to put up some type of collateral before the bondsman will post the bail amount. This collateral is to help reassure the bonding company that they will be reimbursed if your friend or relative decides to skip town or not show up to their court dates.

Because the bail amount is high, you will need to put something up as collateral that has a high value, which will usually have to be at least close to the bail amount. If you have a car that has been paid for, you can put up the title against the bail amount.

However, if your car is still under payments, or if it is an older car with little value, you may need to put up something bigger, such as your home. In this case, you would need to bring in the deed for the house.

Having the right information when contacting a bondsman when seeking to post bail on a friend or relative that has a high bail amount can help make the process go more smoothly. For more information, look over at this website to learn more or contact a service that provides court bail bonds to see if they require any further documentation.