Notarial Duties & Responsibilities

Question 1

A notary must hand over his/her notarial journal to ___ if he/she resigns or loses his/her commission.

Answer 1

The deed recorder’s office

Question 2

If a notarial stamp is lost, the notary public must

Answer 2

Notify the PA Department of Regulation within 15 days of the occurrence
(Note: The notification must include 1. a statement of whether the stamp was lost/stolen; 2. the date the notary discovered the device was lost/stolen; 3. a statement that the notary does not possess the stamp and does not know who possesses it or where it is located; 4. a statement that if the notary subsequently re-acquires the stamp, the notary agrees to notify the department within 15 days of reacquisition that he/she has the stamp again

Question 3

The wording attached to a document that describes the acts the notary performed is the notarial

Answer 3

Certificate

Question 4

A credible witness establishing the identity of a signer must attest that the

Answer 4

Signer does not have any identification documents that would lawfully establish the signer’s identity

Question 5

Official acts should be noted in the notarial journal in which order?

Answer 5

Chronologically by date

Question 6

When performing an acknowledgement, a notary must record all of the following in the journal:

Answer 6

The document type, date and time of the notarial act, fee charged for the notarial act
(Note: Age of the signer should NOT be noted)

Question 7

Notaries are authorized to perform what acts?

Answer 7

Taking acknowledgments, administering oaths and affirmations, taking verifications on oaths and affirmations, witnessing/attesting signatures, certifying or attesting copies or depositions, and noting protests of negotiable instruments

Question 8

What are examples of acceptable expressions of a notary’s name?

Answer 8

John Peter Doe
John P. Doe
John Doe
J. Peter Doe
John Peter Doe, Jr.
John Doe, III

Question 9

A notarial certificate attached to a document when a person signs the document and swears that the contents are true and correct is called

Answer 9

A verification on oath or affirmation

Question 10

An individual desiring to protest a negotiable instrument MUST

Answer 10

Be physically present before the notary and be identified as the holder of the dishonored negotiable instrument

Question 11

What are protests of negotiable instrument?

Answer 11

A protest is a “certificate of dishonor made by a U.S. consul or vice consul, notary, or other person authorized to administer oaths by the law of the place where the dishonor occurs.”

Question 12

The protest must

Answer 12

1. identify the negotiable instrument, 2. certify either that presentment has been made, or if not made, the reason why it was not made, and 3. state that the instrument has been dishonored by non-acceptance or nonpayment

Question 13

A notary public may NOT certify copies of

Answer 13

Birth or death certificates

Question 14

A notarial journal may NOT contain what?

Answer 14

Any personal financial or identification information about the notary’s customers (ex. social security numbers, complete driver’s license numbers, etc.)(Note: it is acceptable to use the last few numbers of these)

Question 15

If the notary’s commission expires, the notary resigns, or the notary’s commission is revoked, he/she must deliver the journal within ___ days to the office of the recorder of deeds in the county where the notary ____.

Answer 15

30; maintains an office

Question 16

An acknowledgment may be completed

Answer 16

at the same time the notary’s signature and seal are affixed to the document (Note: they must occur at the same time)

Question 17

Upon resigning one’s notarial commission, a notary MUST

Answer 17

destroy the notarial stamp

Question 18

To “personally” know someone, one could have

Answer 18

Collaborated with them on several work projects

Question 19

What CANNOT be used to establish a signer’s identity?

Answer 19

A birth certificate, because it does not contain a signature or picture of the signer

Question 20

What is an acknowledgment?

Answer 20

This act refers to an individual signing his/her name in front of the notary and presenting ID to the notary

Question 21

To serve as a credible witness, a person must NOT

Answer 21

Be named in the document being signed

Question 22

A notarial journal entry MUST include

Answer 22

The time the notarial act was performed

Question 23

If a notary accepted an identification document to meet the requirements of satisfactory evidence, the notary should include what information about that document in the journal?

Answer 23

The ID’s expiration date

Question 24

If a notary charges a fee for travel, this fee must be recorded

Answer 24

In the notarial journal

Question 25

In completing a verification on oath or affirmation, the notary certifies what?

Answer 25

Signer signed the document in the presence of the notary public; signer personally appeared before the notary public on the date indicated; notary administered the oath or affirmation

Question 26

What is a complete notarial journal entry for satisfactory evidence of identification?

Answer 26

CA Dept. of Motor Vehicles Driver’s License XXXXXX, issued 7/15/2022, exp. 7/15/2016

Type of ID, ID Number, ID issuance date, ID expiration date

Question 27

To certify a copy of a power of attorney, a notary public MUST

Answer 27

Inspect the original power of attorney document, attach a notarial certificate to the copy of the original power of attorney document, complete a notarial journal entry

Question 28

A notary may NEVER charge a fee for notarizing

Answer 28

An affidavit for an emergency vote by mail ballot (the law states this)

Question 29

What is required on a notary’s stamp?

Answer 29

“Commonwealth of Pennsylvania”
“Notary Seal”
John Doe and “Notary Public”
Name of the County
Date of commissions expiration
7-digit commission identification number

Ex.
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania - Notary Seal
John Doe, Notary Public
Dauphin County
My commission expires May 19, 2019
Commission number 1234567

Question 30

The notarial certificate attached to a document when a person signs a document and swears that the statements in the document are correct is called

Answer 30

A verification on oath or affirmation

Question 31

An individual who would like to perform notarial acts with respect to electronic records MUST

Answer 31

Be registered with the Department as an “e-notary”
(Note: One may register by filing an application with the Department)

Question 32

What information must a notary provide to the Department if he/she wants to become an e-notary?

Answer 32

The name and contact information for his/her electronic notarization solution provider
(Note: This information is required because the Department needs to approve which vendor the notary is using)