AR Notary Record-Keeping and Documentation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What information must appear in an Arkansas notarial certificate for an acknowledgment?
- Only the notary's signature
- The venue, date, signer's name, notary's signature, and seal information (Correct answer)
- The signer's home address and phone number
- The document's total page count only
Correct answer: The venue, date, signer's name, notary's signature, and seal information
A complete certificate includes the venue (state and county), date, signer's name, and the notary's signature and seal.
Question 2: An Arkansas notary's official seal must contain which of the following?
- The notary's name, the words 'Notary Public' and 'Arkansas', county of commission, and commission expiration information as required (Correct answer)
- Only the notary's initials
- The notary's home address
- The signer's name
Correct answer: The notary's name, the words 'Notary Public' and 'Arkansas', county of commission, and commission expiration information as required
Arkansas requires the seal to identify the notary, the office, the state, the county, and commission details.
Question 3: A document arrives with a preprinted notarial certificate for a jurat, but the signer only wants an acknowledgment. What should the notary do?
- Perform the jurat anyway since the certificate is preprinted
- Attach or complete the correct acknowledgment certificate instead (Correct answer)
- Decide which act is legally better for the signer
- Refuse to notarize any document with preprinted wording
Correct answer: Attach or complete the correct acknowledgment certificate instead
The notary should use certificate wording matching the act the signer chooses, attaching a loose certificate if needed.
Question 4: When attaching a loose certificate to a document, what is the best practice for documentation?
- Staple it and note on the certificate which document it belongs to (Correct answer)
- Paperclip it loosely so it can be swapped later
- Mail the certificate separately from the document
- Sign the certificate but leave it undated
Correct answer: Staple it and note on the certificate which document it belongs to
Securely attaching the certificate and describing the underlying document prevents it from being fraudulently moved to another document.
Question 5: An Arkansas notary notices the notarial certificate has no date line filled in. What must the notary record as the date?
- The date the document was signed by the drafter
- Any date the signer requests
- The actual date the notarial act is performed (Correct answer)
- A future date when the document takes effect
Correct answer: The actual date the notarial act is performed
The certificate must always reflect the true date the notarization occurred; backdating or postdating is prohibited.
Question 6: What should an Arkansas notary do if there is no room on the document for the official seal?
- Skip the seal entirely
- Stamp the seal over the signer's signature
- Attach a certificate page with the seal affixed to it (Correct answer)
- Stamp the seal on a separate sticky note
Correct answer: Attach a certificate page with the seal affixed to it
When space is lacking, the notary should complete and attach a certificate page bearing a clear seal impression.
Question 7: A notary's stamp produces a smudged, partially unreadable impression on a certificate. What is the correct response?
- Leave it since part of the seal is visible
- Affix a clear second impression in a nearby blank area (Correct answer)
- Trace over the smudge with a pen
- Cut out the smudged seal and tape a new one on
Correct answer: Affix a clear second impression in a nearby blank area
An illegible seal may cause document rejection, so the notary should stamp again clearly in an open space without covering text.
AR Notary Record-Keeping and Documentation 3
What information must appear in an Arkansas notarial certificate for an acknowledgment?