RI Notary Completing Notarial Certificates 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under Rhode Island law, when must a notary complete the notarial certificate for a notarization?
- Contemporaneously with the performance of the notarial act (Correct answer)
- Within 30 days of the act
- Any time before the document is recorded
- Only when the signer requests it
Correct answer: Contemporaneously with the performance of the notarial act
Rhode Island's notary law requires the certificate to be executed contemporaneously with the notarial act.
Question 2: A Rhode Island notary is presented with a document whose certificate wording says the signer appeared in "Bristol County, Massachusetts," but the signing occurs in Providence, Rhode Island. What should the notary do?
- Correct the venue to show Providence County, Rhode Island before completing the certificate (Correct answer)
- Leave the venue as printed since the document was drafted that way
- Refuse to notarize because venue can never be changed
- Sign the certificate but note the discrepancy in a cover letter
Correct answer: Correct the venue to show Providence County, Rhode Island before completing the certificate
The venue must reflect where the notarial act actually takes place, so the notary corrects it to the true location.
Question 3: Which element is a Rhode Island notary required to include on every notarial certificate?
- The date the notary's commission expires (Correct answer)
- The signer's home address
- The notary's personal phone number
- The document's total page count
Correct answer: The date the notary's commission expires
Rhode Island certificates must show the notary's title and commission expiration date along with the signature and date of the act.
Question 4: A signer hands a Rhode Island notary a document with no certificate wording at all and says "just stamp it." What is the proper response?
- Ask the signer or document drafter which notarial act is required and attach the appropriate certificate (Correct answer)
- Stamp and sign the document without wording
- Choose an acknowledgment automatically since it is most common
- Refuse to notarize any document lacking preprinted wording
Correct answer: Ask the signer or document drafter which notarial act is required and attach the appropriate certificate
The notary cannot decide the type of act for the signer but may attach a proper certificate once the signer or drafter identifies the act needed.
Question 5: How should a Rhode Island notary sign a notarial certificate?
- Exactly as the name appears on the notary's commission (Correct answer)
- With any legible variation of the notary's name
- With initials only, to save space
- With a rubber signature stamp used by an assistant
Correct answer: Exactly as the name appears on the notary's commission
The notary must sign the certificate with the same name shown on the commission.
Question 6: A certificate for a verification on oath (jurat) states the signer "acknowledged" the document. Before completing it for a sworn statement, the notary should recognize that a jurat differs because it requires the signer to:
- Sign in the notary's presence and take an oath or affirmation (Correct answer)
- Simply confirm the signature is theirs, made at any earlier time
- Provide two witnesses to the signing
- Record the document with the city clerk first
Correct answer: Sign in the notary's presence and take an oath or affirmation
A jurat requires signing in the notary's presence plus an oath or affirmation, unlike an acknowledgment.
Question 7: While completing a certificate, a Rhode Island notary realizes the document's certificate names "John A. Smith" but the signer's ID and signature read "John B. Smith." What is the best course of action?
- Do not complete the certificate until the name discrepancy is resolved by the signer or drafter (Correct answer)
- Complete the certificate using whichever name looks closer to the ID
- Cross out the name and write in the correct one without telling anyone
- Notarize anyway because middle initials are irrelevant
Correct answer: Do not complete the certificate until the name discrepancy is resolved by the signer or drafter
The certificate must accurately identify the person who appeared, so discrepancies must be resolved before the notary completes it.
RI Notary Completing Notarial Certificates 2
Under Rhode Island law, when must a notary complete the notarial certificate for a notarization?