IL Notary - Illinois Notary Performing Notarial Acts 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is a notarial act that an Illinois notary public is authorized to perform?
- Filing documents with the court
- Administering an oath or affirmation (Correct answer)
- Providing legal counsel to signers
- Issuing subpoenas
Correct answer: Administering an oath or affirmation
Administering oaths and affirmations is a core notarial act.
Under the Illinois Notary Public Act, notaries are authorized to perform several specific notarial acts including administering oaths and affirmations.
Question 2: Before performing any notarial act, what must an Illinois notary always confirm?
- That the document was prepared by an attorney
- That the signer has paid the fee
- That the signer is personally present and properly identified (Correct answer)
- That the document has been filed with a government agency
Correct answer: That the signer is personally present and properly identified
The signer must be physically present and properly identified for every notarial act.
The two universal prerequisites are personal presence and identity verification.
Question 3: An Illinois notary is asked to witness a signature. What does this require?
- The notary watches the person sign the document (Correct answer)
- The notary signs the document alongside the person
- The notary reads the document and approves its contents
- The notary takes a photograph of the signing
Correct answer: The notary watches the person sign the document
Witnessing a signature means the notary observes the person sign the document.
When an Illinois notary witnesses a signature, they must physically observe the person signing the document.
Question 4: What is a 'copy certification' in the context of Illinois notarial acts?
- The notary certifies that a photocopy is a true reproduction of an original document (Correct answer)
- The notary certifies that the original document is authentic
- The notary makes a copy of the document for their records
- The notary certifies the document was prepared by an attorney
Correct answer: The notary certifies that a photocopy is a true reproduction of an original document
A copy certification means the notary certifies that a photocopy is a true reproduction of the original.
Copy certification is a notarial act in which the notary compares a photocopy to an original document and certifies that the copy is accurate.
Question 5: An Illinois notary receives a request to notarize a document via FedEx overnight delivery. Can they do this?
- Yes, they can notarize and return the document
- No, the signer must be personally present for notarization (Correct answer)
- Yes, if the signer includes a copy of their ID
- Only for acknowledgments, not jurats
Correct answer: No, the signer must be personally present for notarization
A notary cannot notarize a document sent by mail because the signer is not present.
The signer must be personally present before the notary at the time of the notarial act.
Question 6: How should an Illinois notary handle a request to notarize a document for a minor (under 18)?
- Refuse because minors cannot have documents notarized
- Proceed with the notarization as usual since there is no age restriction on signers (Correct answer)
- Require parental consent before notarizing
- Only notarize if the minor is at least 16
Correct answer: Proceed with the notarization as usual since there is no age restriction on signers
Illinois does not have a minimum age requirement for signers.
The Illinois Notary Public Act does not set a minimum age for persons whose signatures may be notarized.
IL Notary - Illinois Notary Performing Notarial Acts 2
Which of the following is a notarial act that an Illinois notary public is authorized to perform?