My business had a document signed and notarized in Oregon. The Notary placed the document and the acknowledgment side by side when she used her stamp so half the stamp imprint is on our signed document and half on the acknowledgment. Is this legal in Oregon? — S.R., California

Yes, provided one full impression of the official stamp appears on the notarial certificate near the Notary's signature. Oregon Administrative Code Section 160-100-0110(4) states, "When a notarial certificate is on a separate piece of paper attached to the tangible record to be notarized, or when there are attachments to the tangible record to be notarized, a notary public may use one additional imprint of the notary public's official stamp to mark for identification the tangible record or attachment, if the imprint does not make any part of the record or attachment illegible. The additional stamp will be partially stamped on the notarial certificate, and partially on the record or attachment to the notarized record."

Hotline answers are based on the laws in the state where the question originated and may not reflect the laws of other states. If in doubt, always refer to your own state statutes. – The Editors

Confronted with a tricky notarization? Unsure how to proceed? NNA members have unlimited access to our expertly trained NNA Hotline counselors to help you with all of your notarial questions. Call 1-888-876-0827, Monday through Friday, 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. PST; Saturday, 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST.

​