Notary Notes Blog

The latest notary news for Pennsylvania notaries

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Keep Your Office of Record Address Up to Date

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All Pennsylvania notaries public are required to keep a current office of record mailing address on file with the Department of State. Your office of record address is where the Department will send any official notices or letters.

If you have changed employers, begun working from home, or moved, make sure the office of record address you have on file is up to date. You have 30 days to notify the Department that your address has changed. Notice must be made in writing or by e-mail and must state the effective date of the change.

You may use your employer’s or your own business address. If you did not provide either address on your application for commission, your home address becomes your office of record address by default. If you are working from home, for an employer or yourself, your home address should be your office of record address.

Instructions and forms (online and PDF) are available on the Department’s web site here.

PAN also offers a Change of Address packet, including an order form for an official stamp, available on our member portal here.

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The Dos and Don’ts of Petitions

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As election season approaches, you may be asked to notarize petitions. It is easy to make a mistake when notarizing a petition. We want to help you perform your notary duties with confidence.

Don’t notarize a petition you have signed as an elector or if you are the candidate filing it.

Do read the instructions on the petition and related materials. The Department of State provides information and links to forms and instructions on their website, including deadlines for filing. Be sure to read and follow the instructions so you can avoid problems at the last minute when the petitions must be filed. The circulator(s) and the candidate have responsibilities in this process that must be fulfilled.

Don’t notarize a petition for a family member. If notarization is required, have an impartial third-party act as the notary. If you are related to the candidate you should decline to notarize their petitions, because your relation to the candidate raises the possibility of a direct or pecuniary interest.

Do draw lines through any unused signature lines that are left on the petition. This prevents signatures from being added to the petition after the notarization.

Don’t notarize for an individual you have not properly identified. Make sure the proper notarial wording is on the petition. You must follow the law for every notarization you perform

Do refer questions to your county election officials or to the Department of State. As a notary, you cannot give legal advice.

 

Five Simple Notarial Mistakes to Avoid

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Notaries are expected to uphold certain standards and act in accordance with the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (RULONA). Even the most minor mistakes can cause notaries a loss of commission, fines, or legal consequences. Here are five common mistakes that notaries made in 2020, so you can avoid them in 2021.

  1. Failing to keep a proper record of their notarial acts. Every notarial act that you perform must have an accurate, complete entry in your notary journal. Learn more about how to create a proper notarial journal entry in this video.
  2. Failing to require personal appearance. Unless you are a remote notary, you must require in-person appearance from the customer. Personal appearance is the first step to performing a notarization. If the customer is unable to come in person, you can refuse service or refer them to a remote online notary.
  3. Failing to maintain custody and control of your notary stamp. As a notary public, you are responsible for securing your notarial stamp. When you are not using your official stamp, put it with your notary journal in a secure place that only you have access to.
  4. Failing to include proper notarial language or venue. Notary wording must be present for you to notarize any document or perform any notarial act. If there is no notary wording present, you must add it. There also must always be a venue including the state and county where you and the customer are standing when the notarial act takes place. If there is no notary wording, inform the client and ask to add it to the document. If they do not allow you to add the proper wording, you must refuse to notarize.
  5. Failing to be familiar with the duties and responsibilities of a notary public. As a notary in Pennsylvania, there are certain duties and responsibilities that you must be familiar with to be able to do the job properly. Familiarize yourself with what is expected of you as a notary, how to perform notarial acts, and what your limitations are. PAN offers several options for obtaining the 3 hours of state-mandated education that will teach you what you need to know about becoming a notary in Pennsylvania, and how to notarize documents.

Being familiar with your duties and responsibilities to the public is the best way to keep yourself safe from legal consequences and losing your commission.