GA Notary Journaling and Record Keeping 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary benefit of a notary voluntarily maintaining a journal even when not required by state law?
- It increases the notary's commission fee
- It provides a record to defend against fraud claims or disputes (Correct answer)
- It allows the notary to perform additional notarial acts
- It automatically renews the notary's commission
Correct answer: It provides a record to defend against fraud claims or disputes
A journal provides a contemporaneous record that can protect the notary if a signature is later disputed or a fraud allegation arises.
Question 2: When recording a notarization in a journal, which date should be entered?
- The date the document was drafted
- The date the notary's commission expires
- The actual date the notarization was performed (Correct answer)
- The date the document will be recorded with the county
Correct answer: The actual date the notarization was performed
The journal entry must reflect the exact date the notarial act was performed, not any other date associated with the document.
Question 3: A signer presents a state-issued driver's license as identification. What information from the ID should a notary ideally record in the journal?
- Only the signer's full name
- The ID type, issuing authority, ID number, and expiration date (Correct answer)
- The signer's home address only
- The ID number and photo description
Correct answer: The ID type, issuing authority, ID number, and expiration date
Recording the ID type, issuer, number, and expiration creates a complete audit trail verifying that identification was properly checked.
Question 4: How should a notary correct a mistake made in a handwritten journal entry?
- Use white-out or correction fluid to cover the error
- Tear out the page and start fresh
- Draw a single line through the error, write the correction, and initial it (Correct answer)
- Leave the error and add a sticky note explanation
Correct answer: Draw a single line through the error, write the correction, and initial it
A single strikethrough preserves the original text while the correction and initials show the notary made the change, maintaining journal integrity.
Question 5: What type of document information should a notary record in a journal entry?
- The full text of the document being notarized
- The document type and a brief description or title (Correct answer)
- The names of all parties mentioned in the document
- The recording fee paid to the county clerk
Correct answer: The document type and a brief description or title
Recording the document type (e.g., deed, affidavit, power of attorney) allows future identification without copying confidential content.
Question 6: If a notary personally knows the signer and relies on personal knowledge for identification, how should this be noted in the journal?
- No entry is needed since no ID was presented
- Note 'personal knowledge' in the identification field (Correct answer)
- Record the signer's Social Security number instead
- Leave the identification field blank
Correct answer: Note 'personal knowledge' in the identification field
Writing 'personal knowledge' in the ID field documents the basis for identification when no government-issued ID was examined.
Question 7: When a notary fills the last page of a journal, what is the recommended next step?
- Destroy the completed journal and begin a new one
- Continue entries on loose sheets of paper stapled in
- Begin a new sequentially numbered journal and safely store the completed one (Correct answer)
- Submit the completed journal to the Secretary of State
Correct answer: Begin a new sequentially numbered journal and safely store the completed one
Completed journals should be stored securely for the retention period while a new journal is started; they are not submitted to the state.
GA Notary Journaling and Record Keeping 2
What is the primary benefit of a notary voluntarily maintaining a journal even when not required by state law?