The Following is for any NJ Notary. The NJ Notary manual let Notaries to believe that an ID did not have to be valid to be accepted. That I can say has now been corrected.
Sometime ago a question was brought up that NJ Notaries do not have to accept a valid ID. I wrote to the state of NJ about this & am now pleased to report that the NJ State Notary Public Manual has been updated to reflect that NJ Notaries MUST accept a VALID ID.
The answer I rec'd is: Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Please be advised that the NJ Notary Manual has been updated to reflect that the identification MUST be "VALID".
Sincerely,
NJ Department of the Treasury
Division of Revenue and Enterprise
The NJ Notary Public Manual now reads:
Requirements for Taking an Acknowledgment or a Jurat; The Notary should: • Ensure that the signer appears before him/her and presents at least one form of valid identification (ID) that provides a physical description of the signer-- e.g., driver's license.
Note: Identification documents are not required if: 1) the signer is personally known to the Notary, or 2) a credible witness, known to both the signer and Notary, swears to the identity of the signer. • Review the document presented for completeness. This is not a formal legal review, such as would be performed by an accountant or an attorney. Rather, it is a review to ensure that there are no blanks in the document. Should blanks be discovered, the signer must either fill them in or strike them out by drawing a line or "X" through them. • Ensure that the signer understands the title of the document and is signing freely and willingly. By obtaining positive ID and asking brief questions as to the title and basic substance of the document, the Notary can make these determinations. • Sign, date, and stamp an acknowledgment certificate (see Illustrations). The ink stamp should include the date on which the Notary's commission expires. The stamp should be placed next to, but not over, the Notary's signature. (If the Notary does not have an ink stamp, his/her name and commission expiration date must be printed or typed on the certificate as indicated.) • Make a journal entry. The journal entry provides evidence and an audit trail thereby protecting both the Notary and the general public. Required information includes: 1) date and time of notary act, 2) type of act (i.e., acknowledgment), 3) title of document, 4) date document was signed, 5) signature; printed name and address of each signer, and if applicable, each witness, and 6) form of ID -- e.g. identification document, personal knowledge, or credible witness. Note: Journals should be bound to prevent tampering. Journals may be obtained from stationers or professional associations. • Charge only the statutory fee ($2.50). |
