MN Notary Electronic and Remote Online Notarization 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Credential analysis as an identity verification method for RON in Minnesota involves:
- Verifying the signer's credit score with a financial bureau
- Reviewing the signer's voter registration records
- Calling the signer's employer or bank to confirm identity
- Analyzing a government-issued photo ID using software to confirm its authenticity and match to the signer (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Analyzing a government-issued photo ID using software to confirm its authenticity and match to the signer
Credential analysis uses technology to examine security features of a government-issued ID and confirm it is genuine and belongs to the person presenting it during the RON session.
Question 2: If the audio-visual connection is interrupted during the identity verification portion of a Minnesota RON session, what must occur?
- The notary may rely on prior visual identification and continue the session
- The entire identity verification process must restart from the beginning (Correct answer)
- The session may continue via telephone until the video connection is restored
- The notary may accept a written sworn statement from the signer about their identity
Correct answer: The entire identity verification process must restart from the beginning
Minnesota law requires the entire identity verification process to restart if the audio-visual connection is interrupted before identity is fully confirmed, ensuring no security gaps.
Question 3: A Minnesota electronic notary seal must include which of the following required elements?
- The notary's photograph and digital fingerprint
- The notary's Social Security number and commission number only
- The county in which the notary resides and their date of birth
- The notary's name, commission expiration date, and state jurisdiction (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The notary's name, commission expiration date, and state jurisdiction
A Minnesota electronic notary seal must include the notary's name, the text 'Notary Public, State of Minnesota,' and the notary's commission expiration date, mirroring traditional seal requirements.
Question 4: A Minnesota notary must refuse to proceed with a RON session if:
- The signer is physically located in a foreign country
- The document to be notarized exceeds 20 pages in length
- The signer appears unwilling to sign voluntarily or lacks the mental capacity to understand the document (Correct answer)
- The signer is using a webcam older than the current model year
Correct answer: The signer appears unwilling to sign voluntarily or lacks the mental capacity to understand the document
A notary must refuse any notarization—including RON—if the signer appears to be acting under duress, lacks willingness, or does not have the mental capacity to understand what they are signing.
Question 5: Which Minnesota statute primarily governs electronic notarial acts, including remote online notarization?
- Minnesota Statutes Chapter 357
- Minnesota Statutes Chapter 358A (Correct answer)
- Minnesota Statutes Chapter 358
- Minnesota Statutes Chapter 359
Correct answer: Minnesota Statutes Chapter 358A
Minnesota Statutes Chapter 358A, the Minnesota Electronic and Remote Online Notary Public Act, is the primary statute governing electronic and remote online notarial acts in the state.
Question 6: In Minnesota, for an electronic signature to be valid in a notarial context, it must be:
- Created using the same software application as the underlying document
- Approved individually by the Secretary of State before each use
- Witnessed by a credentialed third party
- Logically associated with the document so that any alteration would be detectable (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Logically associated with the document so that any alteration would be detectable
Minnesota law requires an electronic signature to be logically associated with or attached to the document, ensuring any post-signature tampering to either the signature or document is detectable.
Question 7: A Minnesota notary's electronic journal entry for each RON session must include:
- Only the type of notarial act performed
- The full text of the notarized document
- The date, time, type of act, document description, signer's name, and identity verification method used (Correct answer)
- The fee charged and the method of payment only
Correct answer: The date, time, type of act, document description, signer's name, and identity verification method used
Minnesota's electronic journal requirements for RON mandate recording the date, time, type of notarial act, document description, signer identification, and the specific method used to verify that identity.
MN Notary Electronic and Remote Online Notarization 2
Credential analysis as an identity verification method for RON in Minnesota involves: