NE Notary The Official Notary Seal 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A Nebraska notary moves to a different county mid-commission. What must happen with the notary seal?
- The notary may continue using the old seal until it wears out
- The notary must update their commission and obtain a new seal reflecting the new county (Correct answer)
- The notary must immediately resign their commission
- Nothing changes because the seal is still valid statewide
Correct answer: The notary must update their commission and obtain a new seal reflecting the new county
When a notary's county of commission changes, they must update their commission information and obtain a new seal showing the correct county.
Question 2: A Nebraska notary has their official seal stolen. What is the required course of action?
- Purchase a replacement seal and continue notarizing
- Report the theft to local law enforcement and notify the Nebraska Secretary of State (Correct answer)
- Stop notarizing until the commission expires naturally
- Only notify the employer where the notarizations occur
Correct answer: Report the theft to local law enforcement and notify the Nebraska Secretary of State
A stolen seal must be reported to law enforcement and the Nebraska Secretary of State to prevent unauthorized use.
Question 3: After a Nebraska notary's commission expires, what must the notary do with their official seal?
- Keep it as a souvenir
- Destroy or deface it so it cannot be used again (Correct answer)
- Return it to the Nebraska Secretary of State
- Donate it to the county clerk's office
Correct answer: Destroy or deface it so it cannot be used again
An expired notary must destroy or deface their seal to prevent its unauthorized use after the commission has ended.
Question 4: Who is legally responsible for the safekeeping of a Nebraska notary's official seal?
- The notary's employer
- The county clerk
- The notary personally (Correct answer)
- The Nebraska Secretary of State
Correct answer: The notary personally
The notary is personally and legally responsible for safekeeping of their official seal at all times.
Question 5: A notary is asked by their supervisor to leave their seal on the supervisor's desk for use while the notary is on vacation. The notary should:
- Leave the seal since the supervisor is a trusted colleague
- Refuse, because only the notary may use the official seal (Correct answer)
- Leave the seal only if the supervisor holds a notary commission too
- Agree only if the supervisor signs a responsibility form
Correct answer: Refuse, because only the notary may use the official seal
Only the commissioned notary may use their official seal; allowing another person to use it is a violation of Nebraska notary law.
Question 6: What ink color is required for Nebraska notary seal impressions?
- Blue or black ink only
- Red ink only
- Any color that produces a legible, reproducible impression (Correct answer)
- Purple ink only, per state specification
Correct answer: Any color that produces a legible, reproducible impression
Nebraska law requires that the seal impression be legible and reproducible by photocopy, but does not mandate a specific ink color.
Question 7: A document was notarized but the seal impression is too faint to read clearly. What should the notary do?
- Initial next to the faint impression to validate it
- Re-stamp with the seal to create a clearer impression if still on the same document (Correct answer)
- Attach a written statement explaining the faintness
- Submit the document as-is since intent is clear
Correct answer: Re-stamp with the seal to create a clearer impression if still on the same document
If the seal impression is illegible, the notary should re-apply the seal on the same document to ensure a clear, readable impression before the document leaves their hands.
NE Notary The Official Notary Seal 3
A Nebraska notary moves to a different county mid-commission.
What must happen with the notary seal?