WY Notary Copy Certification 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under Wyoming law, which entity should provide certified copies of vital records such as birth and death certificates?
- Any licensed notary public in the state
- The document custodian or issuing government agency (Correct answer)
- Any licensed attorney practicing in Wyoming
- The county clerk, regardless of which agency issued the document
Correct answer: The document custodian or issuing government agency
Certified copies of vital records must come from the issuing government agency — the official custodian — rather than from a notary public.
Question 2: A Wyoming notary certifies a copy and later discovers the copy was missing a page. What is the primary concern for the notary?
- The notary may face liability for the inaccurate copy certification (Correct answer)
- The underlying document automatically becomes legally void
- The notary must file a correction with the Secretary of State's office
- The client must pay an additional fee to have the certification redone
Correct answer: The notary may face liability for the inaccurate copy certification
A notary who certifies an incomplete copy has made a false or inaccurate certification and may be subject to civil liability and disciplinary action.
Question 3: How does copy certification differ from a notarial acknowledgment in Wyoming?
- Copy certification requires the signer to appear; acknowledgment does not require appearance
- Copy certification attests to the accuracy of a reproduction; acknowledgment confirms a signer's voluntary execution of a document (Correct answer)
- Copy certification applies only to government documents; acknowledgments apply to private ones
- Copy certification and acknowledgment are interchangeable notarial acts under Wyoming law
Correct answer: Copy certification attests to the accuracy of a reproduction; acknowledgment confirms a signer's voluntary execution of a document
Copy certification is about verifying a document's reproduction accuracy, while an acknowledgment confirms that a named person voluntarily signed a document.
Question 4: Which statement about copy certification fees in Wyoming is most accurate?
- Copy certification must always be provided free of charge to the public
- A notary may charge the statutory fee per notarial act for a copy certification (Correct answer)
- Copy certification fees are set individually by each county clerk's office
- Copy certification carries no fee because no signer's oath or signature is required
Correct answer: A notary may charge the statutory fee per notarial act for a copy certification
Copy certification is a recognized notarial act in Wyoming, and notaries may charge the statutory per-act fee for performing it.
Question 5: A person asks a Wyoming notary to certify a copy of a court judgment. What should the notary do?
- Certify the copy because court judgments are considered private documents
- Decline and direct the client to obtain a certified copy from the court clerk (Correct answer)
- Certify only if the original judgment is more than one year old
- Certify the copy but add a disclaimer that it is unofficial
Correct answer: Decline and direct the client to obtain a certified copy from the court clerk
Court judgments are public records, and notaries cannot certify copies of public records — the client must obtain a certified copy directly from the court.
Question 6: When completing a copy certification certificate in Wyoming, what information must the notary include?
- The notary's social security number and state-issued license number
- The notary's signature, official seal, and a statement that the copy is a complete and accurate reproduction (Correct answer)
- The full names of all parties to the original document
- The date the original document was originally signed by the parties
Correct answer: The notary's signature, official seal, and a statement that the copy is a complete and accurate reproduction
A copy certification certificate must include the notary's signature, official seal, and a statement attesting that the copy is a complete and accurate reproduction of the original.
Question 7: What is a 'custodian certification' as used in Wyoming notary practice?
- A certification performed when the notary is also the legal custodian of the original document
- Another term for the standard notarial copy certification process
- A sworn statement in which a person certifies their own copy by signing before a notary (Correct answer)
- A certification used only when copying records from a government archive
Correct answer: A sworn statement in which a person certifies their own copy by signing before a notary
A custodian certification is when the person who has lawful possession of a document signs a sworn statement before a notary attesting that their copy is accurate, used when producing the original is impractical.
WY Notary Copy Certification 2
Under Wyoming law, which entity should provide certified copies of vital records such as birth and death certificates?