What is a Notary?
A notary is a third party, impartial, public officer whose duty is to identify a signer, take the signers statement and watch them sign the document. Every official act as a notary has legal implications.
Do I have to buy a Bond?
In Washington, yes. Every state sets their own bonding requirement and in Washington it is in the amount of $10,000 and written for a four year term.
Why do I need a Bond?
The notary bond is required by a state to protect the public we serve. If a notary does something wrong either on purpose or accident the notary is sued as an individual. A bond offers no financial protection for the notary.
What is the difference between a Notary Bond and E&O Insurance?
Notary Errors & Omissions Insurance is optional protection for you. The policy can be used to pay back the bonding company, the damaged party and half the policy limit can be used for your legal fees. Even notaries who are only using their commission for work should purchase one of the lower limit policies just in case they need to hire an attorney. Click here to learn about policies that start at just $10 a year.
Why have I not received my notary stamp?
In Washington you must, by law, provide a copy of your license to your stamp supplier before they manufacture & release your new stamp. To obtain your license you will need to sign into your state notary profile created when you filed your bond and paid your state license fee.
Do I have to keep a journal?
YES! Just like a bond every state sets their recordkeeping requirements.
Every notarial act must be journaled at the same time as the notarial act is carried out, even electronic & remote notarizations. Using a journal helps insure that you follow the same procedures each time. It will give you a complete record of what you have done and help you in the event you need to recall the specifics of a particular notarial act.
Please see below for more information regarding journals.
Click here to see the four different journals we offer for your protection.
Do I have to become a member of a notary organization?
No! While there are several organizations that offer informational services or notary products that you may find interesting we recommend that you consider the value of a membership before spending your money. In most cases all of your questions about being a notary can be answered by calling our office or at the state notary website and supplies purchased without having to pay for a membership. Click here to be directed to notary supplies available for purchase.
There is just a line for my signature and a line that says “Notary Public”. Can I sign and place my seal near there?
NO! No matter what state you are in all notarial acts must be evidenced by a proper certificate specific to your state and the document presented. There is no universal notary language that can be used for every situation.
What training or testing is required?
In Washington testing is not required but the notary must read all information available on the state’s notary section website as well as the state notary law. For training that is specific for Washington please [click here] for our training schedule.
What do I do if there is no notary language on the document?
You cannot notarize a document unless it contains a complete notarial certificate. To help your client, you could present them with all the different types on notary language and let them select one that is appropriate for the meaning of their statement. It is against the law for a notary to select or influence the selection of a notary certificate.
Can I notarize in other states?
In 48 of the 50 states a notary can only notarize in the state they are commissioned in. Currently, the only two states that have a reciprocity provision for notarizing are Montana and Wyoming.
I am already a notary for work; can I notarize outside the office to make additional income for myself?
Yes, the notary commission is yours, not your employers. You can notarize outside of work but because state law requires that a notary only use one record book at a time you will need to be diligent about the location and security of your journal.
Why doesn’t Attorney & Notary Supply offer memberships?
To be honest we don’t believe that you should have to pay a membership fee to receive a discount on products, to be notified about law changes or have someone pick up the phone and help you.
We offer the same upfront price to all of our customers while supplying them with the highest quality, lifetime guarantee on all our products. Should a law change happen we will notify all our customers via email to the last email address of record.
More information regarding a notary journal/record book:
In Washington your book must be: Tangible, permanently bound and have numbered pages with a space to record the following:
- Full name, signature & address of customer.
- Method of identification used.
- Date & time of notarial act.
- Type of notarial act(s).
- Type of document(s).
Every notarization must be recorded properly.
Journals must also be kept in a locked and secured location under the direct and exclusive control of the notary as well as retained for ten year period after the last journaled entry.
Like your notary stamp your journal is your personal property and is not to be surrendered upon demand or termination of employment.
Only an electronics record notary may, in addition to the tangible journal, keep an electronic journal. The electronic journal must:
- Have the capacity to record the same information as the tangible journal.
- Enable access by password or other secure means of authentication.
- Be tamper-evident.
- Create a duplicate record of the journal as backup.
- Be capable of providing tangible or electronic copies of the journal entry.
Our company offers five types of tangible notary journals. Please visit [Stamps & Supplies] to determine which one will best suit your needs.
*An attorney licensed to practice law in this state is not required to chronicle a notarial act in a journal if documentation of the notarial act is otherwise maintained by professional practice.
More information regarding a notary stamp or seal:
- All impressions must be photocopy able.
- Contain the notaries name as commissioned.
- Contain the words “notary public” & “state of Washington”.
- Contain the notaries’ expiration date & commission number.
- If round, be minimum one and five-eighths inches in diameter.
- If rectangular, be a minimum of five-eighths inches long and one inch wide.
- The type shall be a minimum of 8 point type.
- The imprint shall be affixed with indelible ink only.
- The face of any notary stamp shall contain permanently affixed letters and numerals.
- The use of the Washington State Seal on the notary stamp or seal is prohibited.
- Your notary seal or stamp should always be kept in a safe place to prevent its use by another person. Also, your seal or stamp as well as your notary bond are not in the name of your employer, and are not to be surrendered should you change jobs. RCW 42.45.160 clearly states that the notary is responsible for keeping the stamp in a locked and secured area, under the direct control of the notary public.