AZ Notary Notarial Acts and Procedures 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An Arizona notary discovers mid-ceremony that a signer appears to be under duress. What is the correct action?
- Complete the notarization and note the concern in the journal
- Proceed only if the signer verbally confirms willingness
- Refuse to complete the notarial act (Correct answer)
- Notify the county recorder immediately
Correct answer: Refuse to complete the notarial act
A notary must refuse to perform a notarial act if the signer does not appear to be acting voluntarily.
Question 2: Which of the following entries is REQUIRED in an Arizona notary's journal for every notarial act?
- The signer's Social Security Number
- The date, type of act, type of document, and signer's name (Correct answer)
- A photocopy of the signer's ID
- The fee charged for the act
Correct answer: The date, type of act, type of document, and signer's name
Arizona law requires the journal to record the date, type of notarial act, document type, and the name of each signer.
Question 3: A notary's commission expires while a multi-day signing project is underway. Which statement is true?
- Acts performed after expiration are valid if completed within 30 days
- Any notarial act performed after the expiration date is invalid (Correct answer)
- The notary may finish acts started before expiration
- The Secretary of State grants an automatic 90-day grace period
Correct answer: Any notarial act performed after the expiration date is invalid
A notary's authority ends on the commission expiration date; any act performed after that date has no legal effect.
Question 4: When certifying a copy of a private document in Arizona, the notary's certificate language should state that the copy is a true and accurate reproduction of:
- The original document presented to the notary (Correct answer)
- A copy verified by the county recorder
- A document on file with the Secretary of State
- An original document independently obtained by the notary
Correct answer: The original document presented to the notary
The notary certifies only that the copy matches the original document that the signer personally presented at the time of notarization.
Question 5: A client asks an Arizona notary to notarize a document written entirely in Spanish, which the notary cannot read. What should the notary do?
- Refuse the notarization because the language is not English
- Proceed with notarization since the notary's role is to verify identity, not content (Correct answer)
- Require a certified English translation before proceeding
- Stamp the document as 'language unverified'
Correct answer: Proceed with notarization since the notary's role is to verify identity, not content
A notary verifies the signer's identity and willingness — not document content — so the language of the document does not disqualify the act.
Question 6: Under Arizona law, how long must a notary retain their journal after the commission ends or the journal is full?
- 1 year
- 3 years
- 5 years (Correct answer)
- 10 years
Correct answer: 5 years
Arizona requires notaries to retain their completed journals for at least five years from the date of the last entry.
Question 7: An Arizona notary is asked to perform a 'signature witnessing' notarial act. What is the notary's primary duty in this act?
- Verify that the signer understands the document's legal effect
- Witness the signer's signature and confirm the signer's identity (Correct answer)
- Confirm that the document has been recorded with the county
- Administer an oath regarding the truthfulness of the document's contents
Correct answer: Witness the signer's signature and confirm the signer's identity
In a signature witnessing, the notary's role is to observe the signing and confirm the signer's identity, without vouching for the document's content or truth.
AZ Notary Notarial Acts and Procedures 5
An Arizona notary discovers mid-ceremony that a signer appears to be under duress.
What is the correct action?