MD Notary MD Notary Acknowledgments and Jurats 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What language must a Maryland notary use when administering an oath for a jurat?
- Any language that causes the signer to understand they are swearing to the truthfulness of the document (Correct answer)
- English only, as required by Maryland statute
- Latin phrases from the traditional common law
- The signer's native language only
Correct answer: Any language that causes the signer to understand they are swearing to the truthfulness of the document
Maryland law requires that the oath or affirmation be administered in a way the signer understands; no specific language formula is mandated.
Question 2: A signer objects to taking an oath for religious reasons. What may a Maryland notary do?
- Administer an affirmation instead of an oath (Correct answer)
- Refuse to perform the notarial act
- Complete the jurat without any oath or affirmation
- Require a different type of notarial act such as an acknowledgment
Correct answer: Administer an affirmation instead of an oath
Maryland law allows a notary to administer an affirmation — a solemn, non-religious pledge — in place of an oath for those with conscientious objections.
Question 3: What must a Maryland notary verify before completing an acknowledgment certificate?
- The identity of the signer using satisfactory evidence of identity (Correct answer)
- That the document has been witnessed by two people
- That the document is free of blank spaces
- That the document was prepared by an attorney
Correct answer: The identity of the signer using satisfactory evidence of identity
Before completing any notarial certificate, the notary must confirm the signer's identity through acceptable identification.
Question 4: A Maryland notary is asked to notarize a document with blanks left in the text. What should the notary do?
- Decline to notarize until the blanks are completed or crossed out (Correct answer)
- Complete the notarization and note the blanks in the journal
- Fill in the blanks themselves before notarizing
- Notarize only the signature, ignoring the blanks
Correct answer: Decline to notarize until the blanks are completed or crossed out
A Maryland notary should refuse to notarize a document with blank spaces that could be filled in fraudulently after the notarization.
Question 5: Which of the following is NOT a valid form of satisfactory evidence of identity for a Maryland acknowledgment?
- A library card (Correct answer)
- A current U.S. passport
- A state-issued driver's license
- A personal knowledge of the signer by the notary
Correct answer: A library card
A library card is not listed among Maryland's acceptable forms of identification for a notarial act.
Question 6: After completing a Maryland acknowledgment, the notary discovers they forgot to affix their seal. What should the notary do?
- Contact the signer to return the document, then affix the seal while the signer is present or re-perform the act (Correct answer)
- Mail the document back to the signer with the seal affixed in the notary's office
- Affix the seal and backdating is acceptable in this case
- Ask a co-worker to affix the seal on their behalf
Correct answer: Contact the signer to return the document, then affix the seal while the signer is present or re-perform the act
The seal must be affixed as part of the notarial act; the notary should correct the omission by having the signer return or re-performing the act.
MD Notary MD Notary Acknowledgments and Jurats 2
What language must a Maryland notary use when administering an oath for a jurat?