Q. Should I keep a journal?

A. Montana law does not require that Montana notaries keep a journal of their notarial acts. However it is a strong recommendation of the Office of the Secretary of State that they do so. A journal is a record of the notarial acts performed and can be vital in protecting the notary from possible liability. The journal should be a bound book to prevent the loss of pages, and the notary should record the following information for each transaction:

1. date and time of the notarial act;
2. nature or type of notarial act;
3. description of the document;
4. signature, printed name and address of each person for whom a notarial act is performed;
5. method by which the person’s identity was determined;
6. fee charged, if any; and
7. place where the notarial act was performed.