IL Notary IL-Notary Notary Journal Record-Keeping Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under Illinois law, which notaries are REQUIRED to maintain a notarial journal?
- All Illinois notaries regardless of type
- Only notaries who charge fees for their services
- Remote Online Notaries (RON) only (Correct answer)
- Notaries who perform more than 50 acts per year
Correct answer: Remote Online Notaries (RON) only
Illinois law mandates that only Remote Online Notaries must maintain an electronic journal; traditional notaries are not legally required to keep one.
Question 2: What is the minimum retention period for an Illinois Remote Online Notary's electronic journal?
- 3 years from the date of each notarial act
- 5 years from the date of each notarial act
- 7 years from the date of each notarial act
- 10 years from the date of each notarial act (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 10 years from the date of each notarial act
Illinois law requires Remote Online Notaries to retain their electronic journal for a minimum of 10 years from the date of each notarial act.
Question 3: Which of the following must be included in an Illinois RON journal entry?
- The notary's surety bond number
- The date and time of the notarial act (Correct answer)
- The witness's home address
- The document's court filing number
Correct answer: The date and time of the notarial act
Each RON journal entry must record the date and time the notarial act was performed, establishing a clear chronological record.
Question 4: For a traditional Illinois notary who does NOT perform remote online notarizations, keeping a journal is:
- Required by the Illinois Notary Public Act
- Prohibited because journals are reserved for RON notaries
- Optional but considered a best practice for liability protection (Correct answer)
- Required only when performing acknowledgments
Correct answer: Optional but considered a best practice for liability protection
Traditional Illinois notaries are not legally required to maintain a journal, but it is widely recommended as a best practice for their protection.
Question 5: Which information about the principal must be recorded in an Illinois RON journal entry?
- The principal's Social Security number
- The principal's name and the evidence of identity used to verify them (Correct answer)
- The principal's date of birth and driver's license number
- The principal's employer name and work address
Correct answer: The principal's name and the evidence of identity used to verify them
The journal must include the principal's name and a statement of the satisfactory evidence of identity used to verify them.
Question 6: When an Illinois Remote Online Notary charges a fee, what must be recorded in the journal?
- The fee amount charged for the notarial act (Correct answer)
- The notary's active commission number
- The document's total page count
- A copy of the principal's electronic signature
Correct answer: The fee amount charged for the notarial act
If a fee is charged, the journal entry must include the amount of that fee for each notarial act performed.
Question 7: In an Illinois RON journal, what must be recorded regarding the document being notarized?
- The complete verbatim text of the document
- The title or description of the document or proceeding (Correct answer)
- The document's assigned serial or reference number
- The exact number of pages in the document
Correct answer: The title or description of the document or proceeding
The journal entry must include a brief description or title of the document or type of proceeding for which the notarial act was performed.
IL Notary IL-Notary Notary Journal Record-Keeping Standards 2
Under Illinois law, which notaries are REQUIRED to maintain a notarial journal?