PA Notary Acts & Wording

Question 1

A principal appears before a Pennsylvania Notary Public and states that the signature on a document is theirs and that they signed it voluntarily for the purposes stated in the document. What type of notarial act has occurred?

Accepted Answer

Acknowledgment

Answer

This scenario describes an acknowledgment. In an acknowledgment, the principal appears before the notary, is identified, and declares that they signed the document voluntarily for its stated purpose. A verification on oath or affirmation involves the principal swearing or affirming to the truthfulness of the document's contents.

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT a mandatory element to be included in a Pennsylvania notarial certificate, according to RULONA?

Accepted Answer

The notary's business address

Answer

While including the notary's business address is good practice and may appear on some notary stamps, it is not explicitly required by the Pennsylvania Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (RULONA) for the notarial certificate itself. The date of the notarial act, the notary's printed name, and the notary's commission expiration date are all statutory requirements.

Question 3

A Pennsylvania Notary Public is asked to certify a copy of a birth certificate. Under PA RULONA, what is the notary's correct response?

Accepted Answer

The notary must refuse to certify the copy because it is a public record for which a certified copy is available from the custodian of the record.

Answer

Under PA RULONA, a notary public may not certify a copy of a public record or publicly recordable document if a certified copy can be obtained from the office of the public official in which the record is filed. Birth certificates fall into this category, as certified copies are available from the Department of Health. The notary should refuse to certify the copy and inform the requestor where to obtain a certified copy.

Question 4

When performing a notarial act in Pennsylvania, which method of identifying a principal is considered acceptable under RULONA?

Accepted Answer

The oath or affirmation of a credible witness personally known to the notary and who personally knows the principal.

Answer

PA RULONA permits identification based on personal knowledge, satisfactory evidence (such as a government-issued identification credential), or the oath or affirmation of a credible witness personally known to the notary and who personally knows the individual. An expired driver's license, even if recently expired, is generally not considered satisfactory evidence of identity. A credit card is not a government-issued identification credential. A utility bill does not provide photographic identification or signature for comparison.

Question 5

In a notarial certificate for an acknowledgment, what statement does the Pennsylvania Notary Public attest to?

Accepted Answer

That the principal signed the document voluntarily for the purposes stated therein.

Answer

In an acknowledgment, the notary attests that the principal appeared before them, was identified, and declared that they signed the document voluntarily for its stated purpose. The notary does not attest to the truthfulness or accuracy of the document's contents, nor do they guarantee the principal's legal capacity or the validity of the document itself.

PA Notary - Pennsylvania Notary Exam Practice Test

PA Notary - Pennsylvania Notary Exam Practice Test

PA Notary Acts & Wording