Journal & Records Flashcards
6 cards from real PA NOTARY practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Journal & Records flashcards as text
A Pennsylvania notary performs a Remote Online Notarization (RON) for a signer located outside the United States. In addition to the standard journal entry, what specific record-keeping requirement is unique to this RON transaction?
Answer: An audio-visual recording of the notarial act must be created and retained for at least 10 years.
For any notarial act performed for a remotely located individual, Pennsylvania law requires the notary to create an audio-visual recording of the performance of the notarial act. This recording must be retained by the notary or a designated repository for a period of at least 10 years.
A member of the public makes a verbal request to inspect a specific entry in a notary's journal from two years ago. How must the Pennsylvania notary respond to this request?
Answer: Permit the individual to inspect the specific journal entry in the notary's presence.
Pennsylvania law requires a notary public to permit inspection of the journal to any person who makes a request, which can be oral or in writing. The inspection must take place in the presence of the notary public.
A notary resigns their commission with two years remaining in their term. What is the required procedure for handling their official journal?
Answer: The journal must be delivered to the recorder of deeds in the county where the notary last maintained an office within 30 days.
Upon resignation of a commission, a Pennsylvania notary public is required to deliver their journal to the office of the recorder of deeds in the county where they last maintained an office. This must be done within 30 days of the resignation.
Which of the following pieces of information is explicitly forbidden from being recorded in its entirety in a Pennsylvania notary's journal?
Answer: The signer's complete driver's license number.
A notary journal may not contain a complete driver's license number or any other complete personal identification number. However, recording the last four digits (terminal numbers) is permissible as part of the description of the identification credential presented.
A notary uses a credible witness to identify a signer. Which of the following is a required step for documenting this in the journal?
Answer: Create a separate journal entry for the verification on oath or affirmation performed for the credible witness.
When a credible witness is used, the notary administers an oath or affirmation to that witness. This is a notarial act in itself and requires its own separate, complete entry in the notary's journal, in addition to the entry for the notarization being performed for the principal signer.
A notary discovers their paper journal has been stolen from their office. According to Pennsylvania law, what is the LATEST they can report this theft to the Department of State?
Answer: Promptly, but no later than 15 days after the discovery.
If a notary's journal is lost or stolen, the notary must notify the Department of State within 15 days of discovering the loss or theft. While filing a police report is recommended, the legal requirement is to notify the Department within this specific timeframe.