MS Notary Record-Keeping and Reporting 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the Revised Mississippi Law on Notarial Acts, how long must a notary retain their journal after the last notarial act recorded in it?
- Two years
- Five years
- Until the commission expires
- Ten years (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Ten years
Mississippi law requires the journal to be retained for ten years after the date of the last entry.
Question 2: A Mississippi notary discovers their journal has been stolen from their car. What must they do?
- Ask the Governor's office for a replacement
- Start a new journal without any notification
- Promptly notify the Secretary of State (Correct answer)
- File a report only with local police
Correct answer: Promptly notify the Secretary of State
A notary must promptly notify the Secretary of State if the journal is lost or stolen.
Question 3: How many journals for tangible records may a Mississippi notary maintain at one time?
- Up to three
- As many as needed
- One per employer
- Only one (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Only one
A notary may maintain only one journal at a time for notarial acts performed on tangible records.
Question 4: Which of the following is a required element of every Mississippi notary journal entry?
- The signer's Social Security number
- A photocopy of the signer's ID
- The date and time of the notarial act (Correct answer)
- The signer's date of birth
Correct answer: The date and time of the notarial act
Each journal entry must record the date and time the notarial act was performed.
Question 5: A signer refuses to provide their address for the journal entry. What should the Mississippi notary do?
- Perform the act and leave the field blank
- Write 'refused' and proceed
- Use the notary's own address instead
- Decline to perform the notarization (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Decline to perform the notarization
Because the signer's name and address are required journal elements, the notary should refuse to notarize if they cannot be recorded.
Question 6: In a Mississippi notary journal, entries must be made in what manner?
- Alphabetically by signer name
- Only for acts involving real estate
- Weekly, in batch summaries
- Chronologically, at the time of the notarial act (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Chronologically, at the time of the notarial act
Journal entries must be made contemporaneously and kept in chronological order.
Question 7: Which detail about identification must a Mississippi notary record in the journal?
- The signer's fingerprint
- The ID card's full serial number and expiration date only
- The method used to identify the signer (Correct answer)
- The issuing clerk's name
Correct answer: The method used to identify the signer
The journal must describe how the signer was identified, such as personal knowledge or the type of ID presented.
MS Notary Record-Keeping and Reporting 2
Under the Revised Mississippi Law on Notarial Acts, how long must a notary retain their journal after the last notarial act recorded in it?