VA Notary Notary Journals and Record Keeping 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under Virginia remote online notarization (RON) law, what record must a notary keep of each RON session?
- A paper journal entry only
- An audio-visual recording of the entire session (Correct answer)
- A screenshot of the signer's ID
- An email confirmation
Correct answer: An audio-visual recording of the entire session
Virginia RON law requires the notary to retain an audio-visual recording of each remote notarization session.
Question 2: How long must a Virginia RON notary retain audio-visual recordings of sessions?
- 1 year
- 5 years
- 10 years (Correct answer)
- Indefinitely
Correct answer: 10 years
Virginia RON regulations require audio-visual recordings to be retained for at least 10 years.
Question 3: A Virginia notary's journal entries should be made:
- At the end of each week
- At the time of or immediately after each notarial act (Correct answer)
- Once per month in a summary
- Only when requested by a client
Correct answer: At the time of or immediately after each notarial act
Journal entries should be made contemporaneously — at or immediately after the notarial act — to ensure accuracy.
Question 4: When a signer requests to see the journal entry related to their notarization, a Virginia notary should:
- Refuse because the journal is confidential
- Allow inspection of the specific entry related to their document only (Correct answer)
- Show the entire journal
- Charge a fee before showing anything
Correct answer: Allow inspection of the specific entry related to their document only
A signer may be shown only their own entry; the notary should protect other signers' private information in the journal.
Question 5: What should a Virginia notary do with their journal when their commission expires or they resign?
- Destroy it immediately
- Retain it securely for the recommended period; do not destroy it (Correct answer)
- Turn it over to the Secretary of the Commonwealth
- Give it to their employer
Correct answer: Retain it securely for the recommended period; do not destroy it
The notary should retain the journal securely even after the commission ends, as it may be needed to verify past acts.
Question 6: An entry in a Virginia notary journal for a refused notarization should record:
- Nothing — only completed acts are recorded
- The date, document type, reason for refusal, and signer name if known (Correct answer)
- Only the date and a general note
- A full sworn statement from the notary
Correct answer: The date, document type, reason for refusal, and signer name if known
Recording refused notarizations documents that the notary properly declined and protects against claims of wrongful refusal.
VA Notary Notary Journals and Record Keeping 2
Under Virginia remote online notarization (RON) law, what record must a notary keep of each RON session?