How Many Times Must A Customer Sign My Notary Journal?

Is this true in California?

California can not use ditto marks but can the individual sign once along the diagonal?

This article should list California as an exception as we cannot use ditto marks or have a client sign diagonally across multiple lines in our journals.

Hello. Missouri requires Notaries to enter the following information for every journal entry: (RSMo 486.260): 1. The month, day and year of notarization; 2. The type of notarization (e.g., acknowledgment or jurat); 3. The type of document notarized; 4. The name, signature and address of the signer; 5. The identification used to identify the signer; 6. The fee charged for the notarization.

Hello Julie. You are correct that California requires each person whose signature is notarized to sign in the Notary's journal. However, just for clarification, please be aware that the Hotline question being answered above was asked by a Maryland Notary, and so the answer provided applies to Maryland only. That's why we always include the disclaimer that Hotline answers are always based on the laws in the state where the question originated. Notaries are always welcome to post questions in the Comments section about how a hotline tip situation would apply in a different state.

Hello. No, Mississippi law requires a journal entry for each notarization performed: “A. For every notarial act, the notary shall record in the journal at the time of notarization at least the following: “1. the date and time of day of the notarial act; “2. the type of notarial act; “3. the type, title, or a description of the document or proceeding; “4. the printed name and address of each principal; “5. the fee, if any, charged for the notarial act; “6. the address where the notarization was performed if not the notary’s business address; and B. If the principal is not personally known ... the notary may require the signature of the principal and the evidence of identity of each principal, in the form of either [sic]: a notation of the type of identification document, its issuing agency, its serial or identification number, and its date of issuance or expiration” (1 MAC Pt. 5, R. 050.5.16).

Hello. In Washington, “If a notary public performs notarial acts involving different statements or documents for the same individual on the same date, the notary public may record a single entry in the journal for all of the statements or documents. The entry shall include the number of statements or documents notarized and shall otherwise conform to RCW 42.45.180 and these rules” (WAC 308-30-190[2]).