Notarial Acts and Procedures Flashcards

Before performing a notarial act in Utah, what must the notary verify about the document?

Answer: That the document is complete — all blanks intended to be filled in have been completed

Utah Code § 46-1-14 requires the document to be complete, with no blank spaces left to be filled in after notarization.

What is the standard procedure when a Utah notary completes a traditional paper acknowledgment?

Answer: Identify the signer, confirm their voluntary appearance and acknowledgment, complete and sign the certificate, affix the seal

For an acknowledgment, the standard procedure is: identify the signer, confirm personal appearance and voluntary acknowledgment, complete the certificate, sign, and affix the seal.

What must a Utah notary do before administering an oath for a jurat?

Answer: Verify the signer's identity and ensure the signer understands the obligation to tell the truth

Before administering an oath, the notary must verify the signer's identity and confirm the signer understands they are taking a legally binding oath to tell the truth.

A Utah notary performs multiple acknowledgments for different signers on the same multi-page document. How many journal entries are required?

Answer: One entry per signer, for each notarial act performed

Each notarial act (one per signer) requires its own journal entry, regardless of whether all acts relate to the same document.

When must a Utah notary make the journal entry for a notarial act?

Answer: At the time of or immediately after performing the act

Best practice and the purpose of the journal require notaries to make journal entries contemporaneously — at the time of or immediately after the notarial act.

Under Utah notarial procedure, what does the notary certify when signing a jurat certificate?

Answer: That the signer appeared before the notary, signed in the notary's presence, and swore or affirmed the truth of the document's contents

The jurat certificate certifies that the signer appeared, signed in the notary's presence, and took an oath or affirmation as to the truth of the document's contents.