25 questions from the Connecticut Notary Public Manual. Pick an answer to see the rule behind it.
1. When does the Secretary of the State send the application for renewal of appointment to a notary?
Answer: Three months prior to the expiration date. The handbook states that the renewal application is sent three months before the current appointment expires.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 7: “Three months prior to the expiration date of an appointment, an application for renewal of appointment as notary public will be emailed to each notary to his/her registered email address on record with the Secretary of the State's Office or mailed to the notary’s residential address if no email is on file.”
2. Which specific role within the Department of Social Services is authorized to witness the execution of an affirmation or acknowledgment of parentage when their assigned duties include doing so?
Answer: Eligibility workers, specialists and supervisors. Item (25) specifically grants eligibility workers, specialists, and supervisors the authority to witness these specific documents, distinct from the general investigators mentioned in item (20).
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 30: “(25) eligibility workers, specialists and supervisors employed by the Department of Social Services for the sole purpose of witnessing the execution of an affirmation or acknowledgment of parentage when their assigned duties include witnessing such execution.”
3. If a notary public chooses not to use a notarial seal or stamp, how must the required information be presented on the notarial certificate?
Answer: It must be typed or printed legibly near the official signature. The handbook specifies that without a seal or stamp, the required text must be typed or printed legibly near the signature.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 39: “If the notary does not utilize a notarial seal or stamp, the words “Notary Public” and “My commission expires (commission expiration date)” shall be typed or printed legibly by the notary near the notary's official signature on a notarial certificate.”
4. According to the Connecticut notary guidelines, what is the recommended retention period for recordings of remote notarizations?
Answer: The recording must be kept for at least 10 years. The handbook states that while not mandatory, keeping the recording for at least 10 years is strongly recommended.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 27: “Nevertheless, it is strongly recommended that the notary keep a recording of every remote notarization conducted for at least 10 years.”
5. According to the message from the Secretary of the State, what is the primary role of a notary public in relation to the general public?
Answer: To ensure documents are properly executed, facts are duly certified, and the public is protected from fraud. The handbook defines the notary's vital role as ensuring proper execution, certification, and fraud protection, distinguishing this from legal advice or mediation.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 4: “As a notary public, you hold an important position as a public official and you play a vital role in ensuring that documents are properly executed, that facts are duly certified, and above all, that the general public is protected from fraud.”
6. What action must a notary public take if they cease to reside within Connecticut or cease to have their principal place of business in the state?
Answer: Immediately resign as a notary. The law requires immediate resignation if the notary no longer resides in the state or maintains their principal place of business there.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 40: “A notary public who ceases to either reside within the state or have one's principal place of business in the state shall immediately resign as a notary in the manner provided in subsection (a) of this section.”
7. According to Section 1-59, what two elements must the person taking an acknowledgment certify regarding the signer?
Answer: That the signer appeared before the notary and acknowledged executing the instrument, and that the signer was known or identified by satisfactory evidence. Section 1-59 requires certification of both the appearance and acknowledgment of execution, as well as the identification of the signer through knowledge or satisfactory evidence.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 34: “The person taking an acknowledgment shall certify that: (1) The person acknowledging appeared before him and acknowledged he executed the instrument; and (2) the person acknowledging was known to the person taking the acknowledgment or that the person taking the acknowledgment had satisfactory evidence that the person acknowledging was the person described in and who executed the instrument.”
8. According to Section 1-38, what is the effect of failing to state the place of execution or acknowledgment in an instrument acknowledged by a person serving in the armed forces?
Answer: The instrument is not rendered invalid. The law states that omitting the place of execution does not invalidate the instrument for armed forces personnel.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 33: “The instrument shall not be rendered invalid by the failure to state therein the place of execution or acknowledgment.”
9. What is the fixed fee required for recording a notary's commission and oath with the town clerk?
Answer: Twenty dollars ($20.00). The handbook specifies that the filing fee for recording the commission and oath is exactly twenty dollars.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 7: “The filing fee for recording the notary's commission and oath is twenty dollars ($20.00), set by Section 7-34a of the Connecticut General Statutes.”
10. If a specific statute prescribes a particular oath form for a specific office or activity, what must the notary do?
Answer: Use the oath prescribed by statute. The rule mandates that when a specific statutory oath exists for an office or activity, the notary must use that specific form rather than a general one.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 14: “If a more particular oath is applicable, the notary shall use the oath prescribed by statute.”
11. Which of the following documents is listed as an exception where a notary should NOT perform a copy certification?
Answer: A certificate of birth. The handbook lists certificates of birth as vital records, which are exceptions to the general copy certification authority, requiring certification by the custodian instead.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 16: “Vital records include a certificate of birth, death, fetal death, or marriage.”
12. Within what timeframe must a newly appointed notary public record their certificate of appointment and oath of office with the appropriate town clerk?
Answer: Within thirty days after receiving the certificate. The statute mandates that the recording must occur within thirty days of receiving the certificate.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 38: “Within thirty days after receiving a certificate of appointment from the Secretary, a notary public shall record, with the town clerk of the municipality in the state in which the notary resides, or, if the notary is not a resident of the state, with the town clerk of the municipality in the state in which the notary's principal place of business is located, such certificate and such notary's oath of office taken and subscribed to by the notary before some proper authority.”
13. How must a Connecticut notary sign documents when their signature is required?
Answer: With an original signature matching the name on their certificate of appointment. The rule mandates an original signature that matches the certificate of appointment exactly, prohibiting stamps or proxy signatures.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 19: “In any circumstance when a notary's signature is required, it must always be the original signature of the notary signed exactly as the name appears on the notary's certificate of appointment.”
14. According to Section 1-63, how does the chapter affect the legal recognition of notarial acts performed prior to October 1, 1969?
Answer: The acts are not affected by this chapter. The statute states that acts performed before this specific date remain unaffected by the provisions of the chapter.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 36: “A notarial act performed prior to October 1, 1969, is not affected by this chapter.”
15. What is the fee required to renew a notary public appointment?
Answer: $60.00. The handbook specifies that the fee for renewing the appointment is sixty dollars.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 7: “If the applicant wishes to continue to be a notary, the notary must use the log-in information contained in the renewal correspondence, swear that they have not been convicted of a crime since the last appointment, and pay a fee of sixty dollars ($60.00).”
16. According to Section 1-34(2), what specific detail must a corporate representative include in the acknowledgment certificate regarding their authority?
Answer: That they are authorized so to do. The statute requires the representative to state that they are authorized to execute the instrument.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 31: “who acknowledged himself to be the .... of ...., a corporation, and that he, as such ...., being authorized so to do, executed the foregoing instrument for the purposes therein contained”
17. Under the definition of 'Copy certification' in Section 3-94a, which type of document is excluded from being certified by a notary?
Answer: A vital record, as defined in section 7-36. The handbook lists specific exceptions for copy certifications, naming vital records as documents that cannot be certified.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 36: “except that a notary public may not complete a copy certification if the original document presented is: (i) A vital record, as defined in section 7-36,”
18. Who is responsible for notifying the Office of the Secretary of the State after a notary public dies?
Answer: The notary's personal representative. The handbook assigns the duty of notification specifically to the notary's personal representative.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 9: “As soon as possible after the death of a notary, the notary's personal representative shall notify the Office of the Secretary of the State in writing that the notary has died and the date of death.”
19. What action must be taken regarding a notary's seal after the notary's death?
Answer: The personal representative must destroy or deface the seal. The handbook mandates that the personal representative destroy or deface the seal to prevent unauthorized use.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 9: “In either event, if the notary used a notarial seal, the notary's personal representative must destroy or deface it to prevent its unauthorized use.”
20. Which of the following is NOT a permitted method for a notary to reasonably identify a remotely located individual during a remote notarization?
Answer: Presentation of an expired government-issued identification document. The law requires the identification document to be current; using an expired document is not a compliant method of identification.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 42: “The individual presents a government-issued identification document or record that has not expired and includes the individual's photograph, name and signature.”
21. How must an acknowledgment taken outside the United States be authenticated if taken by a notary public or judge?
Answer: By a certificate under the great seal of state of the country or by a US diplomatic/consular officer. Section 1-36(3) specifies that acknowledgments taken abroad require authentication via the country's great seal or a US diplomatic/consular officer's certificate.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 32: “If the acknowledgment is taken without the United States and by a notary public or a judge or clerk of a court of record of the country or the clerk of the town where the acknowledgment is taken, the certificate shall be authenticated by a certificate under the great seal of state of the country, affixed by the custodian of such seal, or by a certificate of a diplomatic, consular or commercial officer of the United States accredited to that country, certifying as to the official character of such officer.”
22. When performing a remote notarization for a deed involving property located outside of Connecticut, under what specific circumstance is the transaction considered to have a sufficient connection to Connecticut?
Answer: Either the seller or the buyer are Connecticut residents. The handbook states that for out-of-state property, the connection to Connecticut is established if either party to the transaction is a Connecticut resident.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 28: “Because the property is located outside of Connecticut, such a connection would include that either the seller or the buyer are Connecticut residents.”
23. When taking an acknowledgment, what is the primary requirement for the officer regarding the identity of the person making the acknowledgment?
Answer: The officer must know or have satisfactory evidence that the person is the one described in and who executed the instrument. The law mandates that the officer must either personally know the signer or have satisfactory evidence confirming the signer's identity matches the instrument.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 30: “The officer taking the acknowledgment shall know or have satisfactory evidence that the person making the acknowledgment is the person described in and who executed the instrument.”
24. Under Connecticut law, what is the maximum base fee a notary public may charge for any act performed in accordance with the general statutes?
Answer: Ten dollars. The statute caps the base fee for any notarial act at ten dollars, with mileage added separately.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 41: “The fee for any act performed by a notary public in accordance with the provisions of the general statutes shall not exceed ten dollars plus an additional rate for each mile of travel not exceeding the business standard mileage rate determined by the Internal Revenue Service.”
25. Under the Uniform Recognition of Acknowledgement Act, which of the following individuals is authorized to perform notarial acts outside the state for use within the state?
Answer: A judge, clerk, or deputy clerk of any court of record in the place where the act is performed. The handbook specifically lists judges, clerks, and deputy clerks of courts of record as authorized persons, whereas the other options are either too broad or not mentioned in the handbook.
Connecticut Notary Public Manual, page 33: “(2) a judge, clerk, or deputy clerk of any court of record in the place in which the notarial act is performed;”