Keeping Records of Your Notarial Acts:The Notary JournalNotaries are not authorized to keep copies of the documents they notarize. The best way to protect yourself is to document your notarial acts in a journal (record book or log).You may want to consider this option as well. Each time you perform a notarial act you should record the event your journal.Numerous notary journals are available on the market today, and they all have similar features. We recommend that your journal be bound (not loose-leaf) and have consecutively numbered pages, so that a page could not be removed without being detected. Important information should be recorded in the journal including:•the date of the notarial act;•the type of notarial act: oath, acknowledgement, attested photocopy, marriage;•the name or brief description of the document;•the party’s printed name, exactly as he or she signed the document;•the party’s address;•the party’s signature;•the type of identification relied upon in identifying the party, including the serial number, expiration date, date of birth, etc.;•the fee charged for the notary service; and•any additional comments you consider important; for example, the person is blind and you read the document to him. When using a journal to record your notarizations, it is a good idea to complete the journal entry prior to the notarization to ensure that the party does not leave before the necessary information is recorded.Other important considerations:•Journals can be used to refresh your memory about an event that occurred years earlier, and if kept consistently, may be relied upon for court testimony.•Journals may also prove your compliance with the law.•To be reliable, make sure that you record every notarial act and any special circumstances of the notarization.•Do not share a journal with another notary.•Guard your journal. Keep completed journals for at least 5 years.Notary journals are usually available from your bonding agency, an office supply store, or one of the two national organizations that provide educational assistance to notaries. Any notary who is concerned with liability may want to consider this protective measure to provide a permanent record of his or her notarial acts.To order a Notary Journal, please click on the following here.
Keeping Records of Your Notarial Acts:The Notary JournalNotaries are not authorized to keep copies of the documents they notarize. The best way to protect yourself is to document your notarial acts in a journal (record book or log).You may want to consider this option as well. Each time you perform a notarial act you should record the event your journal.Numerous notary journals are available on the market today, and they all have similar features. We recommend that your journal be bound (not loose-leaf) and have consecutively numbered pages, so that a page could not be removed without being detected. Important information should be recorded in the journal including:•the date of the notarial act;•the type of notarial act: oath, acknowledgement, attested photocopy, marriage;•the name or brief description of the document;•the party’s printed name, exactly as he or she signed the document;•the party’s address;•the party’s signature;•the type of identification relied upon in identifying the party, including the serial number, expiration date, date of birth, etc.;•the fee charged for the notary service; and•any additional comments you consider important; for example, the person is blind and you read the document to him. When using a journal to record your notarizations, it is a good idea to complete the journal entry prior to the notarization to ensure that the party does not leave before the necessary information is recorded.Other important considerations:•Journals can be used to refresh your memory about an event that occurred years earlier, and if kept consistently, may be relied upon for court testimony.•Journals may also prove your compliance with the law.•To be reliable, make sure that you record every notarial act and any special circumstances of the notarization.•Do not share a journal with another notary.•Guard your journal. Keep completed journals for at least 5 years.Notary journals are usually available from your bonding agency, an office supply store, or one of the two national organizations that provide educational assistance to notaries. Any notary who is concerned with liability may want to consider this protective measure to provide a permanent record of his or her notarial acts.To order a Notary Journal, please click on the following here.
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What's the Difference Between an Acknowledgement and a Jurat?This question can confuse even experienced Notaries. First of all, the Acknowledgement the document and Jurat are the two most common types of notarization, but are different in purpose. What becomes confusing is that sometimes the document that needs notarization isn't worded clearly. As a Notary you have to ask yourself, are you simply "acknowledging" (witnessing) a person's signature (Acknowledgement), or are you witnessing their oath that something is true, along their signature (Jurat).But just to keep it as simple as possible, if the wording on a document to be notarized is asking in any way for the person to affirm or swear that something is true, for instance that the home they live in is their primary residence (often included in loan documents), then a Jurat is the proper notarization. Typical wording on the document would be: "I certify under penalty or perjury..." or "I do so agree and covenant..." "I affirm..." "I testify that..."Any documents that just require a signature without any declarative statement should be notarized using and Acknowledgement. You might feel confused if an Acknowledgement has words like: By signing this...(person's name) accepts and agrees to the terms and covenants contained in this document. Even with the word "covenant" in there, an oath or affirmation is not involved, and the person is agreeing to something without having to affirm or swear an oath.A personal appearance before the Notary is ALWAYS required to execute a Jurat. No one else can swear an oath or affirmation for the person named on the Jurat. It is a personal promise that can't be made by anyone else. In addition, the Jurat must be signed, dated and notarized at the time the oath or affirmation is administered. It cannot be signed in advance under any circumstances.A personal appearance before the Notary by the person named in an Acknowledgement is usually required to execute an Acknowledgement, but there are exceptions. A representative with power of attorney or a subscribing witness may appear in place of the person named. A person signing a document requiring an Acknowledgement can sign in advance, bring the paperwork to the Notary and represent to the Notary that it is their signature and they signed it before coming to the Florida Notary. The Florida Notary can notarize this signature based in proper ID and that the person is standing before them stating it is their signature. Even though their signature may be dated a previous date, the notarization ALWAYS carries the actual date of the notarization.In some cases a document requires both a Jurat and an Acknowledgement. You then administer the oath or affirmation and complete both documents. Some states have developed a combination jurat/acknowledgement form, but other states still require two separate forms.
APPOINTMENT AND COMMISSIONNotaries are public officers appointed and commissioned by the Governor. You are not licensed, you are appointed. An appointment is a privilege, not a right.The term of office is four years. Example: A commission which began on July 1, 1996 (12:01 a.m.) will end on June 30, 2000 (12:00 p.m.). If your lawful name changes, you must request an amended commission by submitting the appropriate application form, a rider to the notary bond, and a fee. You should contact Aaron Notary for assistance. Once you make application for a change of name, you may continue notarizing in your former name until receipt of your amended commission and seal. You will be given a new commission number, but you will retain the same expiration date.If you lose your commission certificate, you may request a duplicate from the Department of State, Bureau of Notaries Public, or from your bonding agency.
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