NE Notary Acts and Responsibilities 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under Nebraska law, which form of identification is acceptable for verifying a signer's identity?
- A library card with photo
- A valid government-issued photo ID such as a driver's license or state ID (Correct answer)
- A credit card with the signer's name embossed
- A signed letter from the signer's employer
Correct answer: A valid government-issued photo ID such as a driver's license or state ID
Nebraska requires government-issued photo identification such as a driver's license or state-issued ID to verify a signer's identity.
Question 2: A Nebraska notary is unsure whether a signer's identification document is authentic. What is the best course of action?
- Accept the ID and proceed with notarization
- Refuse to perform the notarial act (Correct answer)
- Ask a bystander to vouch for the signer verbally
- Notarize and note the uncertainty in the notarial certificate
Correct answer: Refuse to perform the notarial act
If a notary cannot satisfactorily verify a signer's identity, they must refuse to perform the notarial act.
Question 3: What must a Nebraska notary verify about a credible identifying witness who vouches for a signer?
- That the witness is a blood relative of the signer
- That the notary personally knows the witness or the witness presents satisfactory government-issued ID (Correct answer)
- That the witness holds a professional license
- That the witness has no prior criminal convictions
Correct answer: That the notary personally knows the witness or the witness presents satisfactory government-issued ID
Nebraska requires that a credible identifying witness be personally known to the notary or be able to present acceptable identification.
Question 4: Under Nebraska's notarial act provisions, if a person cannot physically sign due to a disability, what alternative is permitted?
- The notary signs on behalf of the signer
- The signer may make a mark or direct another person to sign at their direction in the notary's presence (Correct answer)
- The document must be postponed until the signer can physically sign
- A family member may sign without any additional requirements
Correct answer: The signer may make a mark or direct another person to sign at their direction in the notary's presence
Nebraska law allows a person who cannot sign to make a mark or direct another to sign in the signer's presence and the notary's presence.
Question 5: What information should a Nebraska notary's journal entry typically include?
- The notary's political affiliation and personal address
- Date, type of notarial act, brief document description, and signer's name and ID type (Correct answer)
- Signer's Social Security number and financial account details
- The notary's legal interpretation of the document notarized
Correct answer: Date, type of notarial act, brief document description, and signer's name and ID type
A proper notarial journal entry records the date, type of act, document description, and the signer's identifying information.
Question 6: If a Nebraska notary discovers an error in a notarial certificate after the fact, what is the appropriate remedy?
- White out the error and overwrite with the correct information
- Complete a corrected notarial certificate within the notary's lawful authority (Correct answer)
- Destroy the document and refuse any further involvement
- File an error report with the county clerk's office
Correct answer: Complete a corrected notarial certificate within the notary's lawful authority
The appropriate remedy is to complete a corrected notarial certificate; altering or destroying documents is prohibited.
Question 7: Under Nebraska RULONA provisions, maintaining a notarial journal for traditional (in-person) notarial acts is best described as:
- Strictly mandatory with criminal penalties for non-compliance
- Permissive — encouraged but not universally required for traditional acts (Correct answer)
- Prohibited to protect signer privacy
- Required only for notaries employed by financial institutions
Correct answer: Permissive — encouraged but not universally required for traditional acts
Nebraska law permits notaries to keep a journal for traditional notarial acts but does not make it universally mandatory, though it is strongly encouraged.
NE Notary Acts and Responsibilities 3
Under Nebraska law, which form of identification is acceptable for verifying a signer's identity?