Notarial Certificates and Seal Flashcards

Which of the following elements is REQUIRED to be included on a Utah notary public's official seal for traditional, paper-based notarizations?

Answer: The Great Seal of the State of Utah

According to Utah law (U.C.A. §46-1-16), the official seal must contain several key elements, including the notary's name as it appears on the commission, the phrases "Notary Public" and "State of Utah," the commission expiration date, the commission number, and a facsimile of the Great Seal of the State of Utah. The other options are not required.

A Utah notary performs a traditional (in-person) notarization. What color ink must be used for the official seal impression?

Answer: Purple

Utah Code §46-1-16(2)(c)(i) explicitly states that each official seal used for an in-person notarization shall be in purple ink. Black ink is specified for remote notarizations.

A client presents a document to a Utah notary and asks them to simply sign and affix their seal without any notarial wording. What is the correct course of action for the notary?

Answer: Refuse the notarization because it lacks a notarial certificate.

A Utah notary may not use their official seal independent of a notarial certificate. The notarial certificate contains the specific wording for the notarial act being performed (e.g., acknowledgment, jurat). Simply signing and stamping a document is considered a critical error and is not a valid notarial act.

A Utah notary's commission expires. What must the notary do with their official seal?

Answer: Destroy it to prevent any possible misuse.

Utah Code §46-1-16(9)(a)(i) requires that when a notary's commission expires, is resigned, or revoked, the notary must destroy their official seal and certificate. This is a critical step to prevent fraudulent use of an expired commission.

When completing a notarial certificate in Utah, which of the following actions is NOT permissible?

Answer: Leaving the venue (State of Utah, County of ______) blank for the signer to fill in later.

A notary must not execute a certificate that is materially incomplete. The venue, which indicates where the notarization took place, is a required element of the certificate and must be completed by the notary at the time of the notarization. Leaving it blank for someone else to fill in later is a serious violation.

Which of the following statements about a Utah notary's official seal is correct?

Answer: The seal must be in a rectangular format, no larger than 1" x 2.5".

Utah law specifies that a traditional notary seal must have a rectangular border and that the impression cannot be larger than one inch by two and a half inches. The seal is the exclusive property of the notary, not their employer, it cannot be circular, and an embosser may only be used in addition to, not in place of, the required ink stamp.