ME Notary Acknowledgments and Jurats 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which phrase typically appears in a Maine acknowledgment certificate to indicate the signer appeared before the notary?
- Subscribed and sworn before me
- Acknowledged before me (Correct answer)
- Witnessed by my hand and seal
- Certified and attested to be true
Correct answer: Acknowledged before me
Acknowledgment certificates in Maine typically include the phrase 'acknowledged before me' to indicate the signer personally appeared and acknowledged their signature.
Question 2: What does 'subscribed and sworn' on a Maine jurat certificate indicate?
- The document was acknowledged and the seal was affixed
- The signer signed the document and took an oath before the notary (Correct answer)
- The notary subscribed their name and swore the document is authentic
- The document was copied and certified by the notary
Correct answer: The signer signed the document and took an oath before the notary
'Subscribed and sworn' means the signer signed (subscribed) the document and took an oath (sworn) before the notary, both occurring during the jurat.
Question 3: If a notarial certificate on a document is entirely missing, what should a Maine notary do?
- Complete the notarization without a certificate if the signer consents
- Refuse to notarize until the appropriate certificate is attached or added (Correct answer)
- Fill in any available certificate language from memory and proceed
- Forward the document to the Maine Secretary of State for review
Correct answer: Refuse to notarize until the appropriate certificate is attached or added
A Maine notary must ensure the correct notarial certificate is present before completing any notarization, and should refuse to proceed if one is absent.
Question 4: What information is typically NOT included in a Maine notarial certificate?
- The notary's commission expiration date
- The date the notarial act was performed
- The signer's Social Security Number (Correct answer)
- The county where the notarial act occurred
Correct answer: The signer's Social Security Number
A notarial certificate does not include the signer's Social Security Number; it contains the venue, date, and the notary's signature and seal information.
Question 5: When a Maine notary completes an acknowledgment for a document signed by a corporate officer, who must appear before the notary?
- The corporation's registered agent on file with the state
- The authorized officer or representative who signed the document on behalf of the corporation (Correct answer)
- All officers listed on the corporation's articles of incorporation
- The corporation's attorney or legal counsel
Correct answer: The authorized officer or representative who signed the document on behalf of the corporation
The authorized officer or representative who signed the document on behalf of the corporation must personally appear and acknowledge the signature before the notary.
Question 6: How should a Maine notary handle the certificate wording when a signer chooses to affirm rather than swear during a jurat?
- Refuse the notarization since a sworn oath is legally required for all jurats
- Complete an acknowledgment instead since no oath is being administered
- Use or modify the certificate to reflect affirmation language instead of oath language (Correct answer)
- Require the signer to sign a separate religious exemption form first
Correct answer: Use or modify the certificate to reflect affirmation language instead of oath language
When a signer chooses to affirm, the notary should use or adapt the certificate language to reflect that an affirmation was administered rather than an oath.
Question 7: A Maine notary receives a document with a pre-printed notarial certificate containing an incorrect date. What is the proper course of action?
- Cross out the wrong date, enter the correct date, and initial the correction before completing the notarization (Correct answer)
- Refuse to notarize the document and require an entirely new certificate
- Proceed with the notarization and note the date error in the journal only
- Notarize using the pre-printed date since changing it could constitute alteration of a legal document
Correct answer: Cross out the wrong date, enter the correct date, and initial the correction before completing the notarization
The notary should correct the date, initial the change to authenticate the correction, and proceed with the notarization using accurate information.
ME Notary Acknowledgments and Jurats 2
Which phrase typically appears in a Maine acknowledgment certificate to indicate the signer appeared before the notary?