NE Notary Notary Journal Recordkeeping 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the purpose of the sequential journal entry number assigned to each notarial act in Nebraska?
- It determines the notary's fee
- It provides a unique identifier for tracking and auditing each act (Correct answer)
- It is required only for real estate transactions
- It is used to generate the notary's annual report
Correct answer: It provides a unique identifier for tracking and auditing each act
Sequential entry numbers create an auditable trail that allows each notarial act to be uniquely identified and verified.
Question 2: A Nebraska notary is asked to notarize a document but the signer cannot personally appear. What journal entry should the notary make?
- Record the act as completed using remote online notarization rules
- Make no entry because no act was performed (Correct answer)
- Record the refusal and the reason in the journal
- Leave the line blank for future completion
Correct answer: Make no entry because no act was performed
If no notarial act is performed because the signer did not appear, there is no act to record and no entry is required.
Question 3: When must the journal entry for a notarial act be completed in Nebraska?
- Within 24 hours after the act
- At the time the notarial act is performed (Correct answer)
- Before the end of the business day
- Within 3 business days
Correct answer: At the time the notarial act is performed
Nebraska requires the journal entry to be made contemporaneously — at the time the notarial act is performed.
Question 4: A signer uses a credible identifying witness to establish their identity. What must be recorded in the journal about the witness?
- Only the witness's name
- The witness's name and relationship to the signer
- The witness's name, address, and the ID they presented (Correct answer)
- Nothing additional beyond the signer's information
Correct answer: The witness's name, address, and the ID they presented
When a credible witness is used, the journal must include the witness's name, address, and the identification document the witness presented.
Question 5: Under what circumstance may a Nebraska notary show their journal to a third party without the signer's consent?
- When requested by any attorney
- When subpoenaed by a court or requested by law enforcement with proper authority (Correct answer)
- When the requesting party offers to pay a fee
- When the document notarized was for a business entity
Correct answer: When subpoenaed by a court or requested by law enforcement with proper authority
A notary must comply with a valid court subpoena or lawful law enforcement request, even without signer consent.
Question 6: Which detail about the document being notarized must appear in a Nebraska notary journal entry?
- The full text of the document
- The title or type of document and the date of the document (Correct answer)
- The names of all parties mentioned in the document
- The recording number if the document was filed
Correct answer: The title or type of document and the date of the document
The journal entry must identify the document by its title or type and the document's date to distinguish it from other instruments.
Question 7: A notary completes an act and later discovers an error in the journal entry. How should corrections be made?
- Use correction fluid to cover the mistake
- Tear out the page and redo the entry
- Draw a single line through the error, write the correction, and initial it (Correct answer)
- Shred the journal and start a new one
Correct answer: Draw a single line through the error, write the correction, and initial it
Corrections must preserve the original entry; the proper method is a single strikethrough, the correct information, and the notary's initials.
NE Notary Notary Journal Recordkeeping 3
What is the purpose of the sequential journal entry number assigned to each notarial act in Nebraska?