PA Notary Prohibited Acts & UPL

Question 1

A notary who is also a licensed insurance agent is selling a policy to a client. Can the notary notarize the client's signature on the insurance application?

Accepted Answer

No, this is a prohibited act due to a direct financial interest.

Answer

Yes, as long as they do not charge a notary fee.

Answer

Yes, because it is a service to the client.

Answer

No, unless another employee from the agency is present.

Question 2

Which of the following actions by a notary constitutes the unauthorized practice of law (UPL)?

Accepted Answer

Advising a signer on which type of notarial certificate to use.

Answer

Refusing to notarize an incomplete document.

Answer

Charging the maximum fee allowed by the state.

Answer

Keeping a detailed journal of all notarial acts.

Question 3

A Pennsylvania notary is buying a car and needs their signature notarized on the title application. The notary may:

Accepted Answer

Not perform the notarization and must find another notary.

Answer

Notarize their own signature since it is a personal matter.

Answer

Notarize their own signature but not charge a fee.

Answer

Notarize their own signature if their spouse is present as a witness.

Question 4

A notary is asked to complete a jurat certificate on an affidavit that the signer signed the previous day. The signer is present and swears to the truth of the contents. The notary should:

Accepted Answer

Refuse the notarization because the document must be signed in the notary's presence for a jurat.

Answer

Proceed with the jurat since the signer is now present and taking an oath.

Answer

Cross out the jurat and attach an acknowledgment certificate instead.

Answer

Date the jurat with the previous day's date.

Question 5

A notary is strictly prohibited from which of the following acts?

Accepted Answer

Using the official stamp on a document not related to a notarial act.

Answer

Notarizing a document for a close family member.

Answer

Advertising their services as a 'Notary Public'.

Answer

Traveling to a signer's home to perform a notarization.

Question 6

A notary may not notarize a signature on a document that:

Accepted Answer

Contains blank spaces where information should be inserted.

Answer

Is written in a foreign language the notary does not understand.

Answer

Will be sent to another state or country.

Answer

Names the notary's employer as a party in the document.

Question 7

A person asks a notary to simply 'certify' a copy of their U.S. birth certificate. The notary should:

Accepted Answer

Refuse the request and explain that they are not authorized to certify vital records.

Answer

Make a copy, stamp it with the official seal, and sign it.

Answer

Have the person sign a statement that the copy is true, and notarize that signature.

Answer

Charge an extra fee for the complexity of the request.