FL Notary Notary Seal and Journal Requirements 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of a Florida notary maintaining a journal of notarial acts?
- To calculate annual income from notary fees
- To provide a record that can protect the notary and public in disputes (Correct answer)
- To submit required reports to the state quarterly
- To track the number of acts for commission renewal
Correct answer: To provide a record that can protect the notary and public in disputes
A notarial journal creates a contemporaneous record of each act that can be referenced if a document or signature is later disputed, protecting both the notary and the public.
Question 2: Which of the following should NOT be recorded in a Florida notary's journal entry?
- Date and time of the notarization
- Type of notarial act performed
- Full text or copy of the document notarized (Correct answer)
- Type of identification used by the signer
Correct answer: Full text or copy of the document notarized
A journal entry records key details about the act (date, type, ID used, signer information) but does not include the full text or a copy of the document notarized.
Question 3: A Florida notary's electronic journal used for RON must be stored for at least how long?
- 1 year after the notarial act
- 5 years after the notarial act
- 10 years after the notarial act (Correct answer)
- Indefinitely
Correct answer: 10 years after the notarial act
Florida law requires RON notaries to retain their electronic journal and audio-visual recordings of each notarial act for at least 10 years.
Question 4: If a Florida notary makes an error in their paper journal, what is the correct way to correct it?
- Use correction fluid to cover the mistake
- Tear out the page and rewrite the entry
- Draw a single line through the error, initial it, and write the correction (Correct answer)
- Leave the error and add a note at the end of the journal
Correct answer: Draw a single line through the error, initial it, and write the correction
The proper correction method is to draw a single line through the error, initial the correction, and write the correct information so the original entry remains readable.
Question 5: Under Florida law, who owns the notary's journal?
- The employer of the notary
- The notary personally (Correct answer)
- The client who requested the notarization
- The Department of State
Correct answer: The notary personally
The notarial journal is the personal property of the notary, even if the notary's employer paid for it, because it is an official record of the notary's acts.
Question 6: What is an electronic notarial seal used for in Florida?
- To replace the traditional ink seal entirely
- To authenticate electronic documents notarized electronically or via RON (Correct answer)
- To provide a backup seal when the physical seal is unavailable
- To sign documents on behalf of the signer electronically
Correct answer: To authenticate electronic documents notarized electronically or via RON
An electronic notarial seal is the digital equivalent of a physical stamp, used to authenticate electronic documents when performing electronic or remote online notarizations.
FL Notary Notary Seal and Journal Requirements 2
What is the primary purpose of a Florida notary maintaining a journal of notarial acts?