A notary public's duty to demand acceptance and payment of bills of exchange and promissory notes, and to protest them for nonacceptance and nonpayment, applies to which notaries?
Based on: Gov. Code § 8205: Duties and powers of a notary
California Notary Exam · Acts
California Notary Exam Practice Questions: Notarial Acts, Journal and Seal (2026)
A California notary may take acknowledgments and proofs of instruments such as powers of attorney, mortgages, deeds, grants and transfers, administer oaths and affirmations, execute jurats and certify copies of powers of attorney, all under Government Code § 8205. Every act must be recorded in one active sequential journal under § 8206 and authenticated with the official seal under § 8207. The certificate wording is fixed by statute: Civil Code § 1189 for acknowledgments and Government Code § 8202 for jurats, each with a boxed notice at the top stating that the officer verifies only the identity of the signer.
Practice
Free practice questions
When executing a jurat, what must a notary do regarding an oath or affirmation?
Based on: Gov. Code § 8202: Executing a jurat
How many active journals may a notary public keep at one time?
Based on: Gov. Code § 8206: The notarial journal
After receiving a request for a copy of a journal transaction under subdivision (c) of Section 8206, within what time must the notary respond?
Based on: Gov. Code § 8206.5: Responding to journal copy requests
Which of the following must clearly appear when a notary's official seal is embossed, stamped, impressed, or affixed to a document?
Based on: Gov. Code § 8207: The official seal
A notary's protest of a bill of exchange or promissory note is prima facie evidence only when the notary is acting in what capacity?
Based on: Gov. Code § 8208: Protest of bills and notes
Section 8230's special verification requirement applies when a notary executes a jurat on a document that purports to do what?
Based on: Gov. Code § 8230: Jurat requiring age or birthdate proof
Within which geographic area is a California notary public authorized to take the proof or acknowledgment of an instrument?
Based on: Civ. Code § 1181: Officers who may take acknowledgments in California
After taking the acknowledgment of an instrument, what must the officer do with respect to a certificate?
Based on: Civ. Code § 1188: Certificate of acknowledgment required
Where must the statutorily required notice appear on a certificate of acknowledgment taken within California?
Based on: Civ. Code § 1189: Form of the certificate of acknowledgment
Acknowledgment vs jurat: what each certificate does
This is the distinction the exam keeps probing. An acknowledgment certificate under Civil Code § 1189 recites that the signer proved their identity on the basis of satisfactory evidence and acknowledged executing the instrument; the notary completes it under penalty of perjury, and a notary who willfully states as true any material fact known to be false faces a civil penalty of up to $10,000. A jurat is different: Government Code § 8202 requires the notary to administer an oath or affirmation to the affiant, to establish identity from satisfactory evidence as described in Civil Code § 1185, and, critically, the affiant shall sign the document in the presence of the notary. Both certificates must carry a legible notice at the top, in an enclosed box, stating that the officer completing the certificate verifies only the identity of the individual who signed the document, and not the truthfulness, accuracy, or validity of that document. Two more § 8205 rules round this out: every certificate must be signed by the notary public in the notary public's own handwriting, and a notary may not accept any acknowledgment or proof of any instrument that is incomplete.
The journal and the seal: locked, sequential, exclusive
Government Code § 8206 requires a notary to keep one active sequential journal at a time, of all official acts, kept in a locked and secured area, under the direct and exclusive control of the notary. Each entry records the date, time and type of the act, the character of the instrument, the signature of each person whose signature is notarized, the identification details relied on (document type, issuing agency, serial number and issue or expiry date) and the fee charged. When the document is a deed, quitclaim deed, deed of trust or other document affecting real property, or a power of attorney, the signer must place a right thumbprint in the journal; a trustee's deed resulting from foreclosure and a deed of reconveyance are the exceptions. If the journal is lost or stolen, the notary must immediately notify the Secretary of State by certified or registered mail, giving the period of the entries, the commission number, the expiration date and a photocopy of any police report specifying theft. The journal is the exclusive property of the notary and shall not be surrendered to an employer upon termination of employment, whether or not the employer paid for it. The seal in § 8207 is just as regimented: it must show the notary's name, the words Notary Public, the county where the bond and oath are filed, the commission expiration date and, for commissions on or after January 1, 1992, the sequential identification numbers of the notary and of the manufacturer, in a form that legibly reproduces under photographic methods. It may be circular, not over two inches in diameter, or rectangular, not more than one inch by two and one-half inches, and it too lives in a locked and secured area under the notary's exclusive control.
| Point | Acknowledgment | Jurat |
|---|---|---|
| What the signer does | Acknowledges that they executed the instrument | Swears or affirms the contents and signs |
| Oath or affirmation required | No | Yes, administered by the notary |
| Signed in the notary's presence | The signer acknowledges an existing signature | Yes, the affiant signs before the notary |
| Identity established by | Satisfactory evidence, Civ. Code § 1185 | Satisfactory evidence, Civ. Code § 1185 |
| Boxed identity notice at the top | Yes, Civ. Code § 1189 | Yes, Gov. Code § 8202(b) |
| Governing statute | Civ. Code § 1189 | Gov. Code § 8202 |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does a California notary have to keep a journal?
Yes. Government Code § 8206 requires a California notary to keep one active sequential journal at a time, of all official acts performed as a notary public, kept in a locked and secured area under the direct and exclusive control of the notary. Failure to secure the journal is cause for the Secretary of State to take administrative action against the commission under § 8214.1.
When does a California notary need a thumbprint in the journal?
Under Government Code § 8206, a California notary must require the signer's right thumbprint in the journal when the document is a deed, quitclaim deed, deed of trust or other document affecting real property, or a power of attorney. A trustee's deed resulting from a decree of foreclosure or a nonjudicial foreclosure, and a deed of reconveyance, are exempt. Failing to obtain a required thumbprint carries a civil penalty of up to $2,500 under § 8214.23.
What must a California notary seal contain?
Under Government Code § 8207, the California seal must show the notary's name, the words Notary Public, the county where the bond and oath of office are filed, and the commission expiration date, plus, for commissions issued on or after January 1, 1992, the notary's sequential identification number and the manufacturer's number. It must reproduce legibly under photographic methods, and may be circular up to two inches or rectangular up to one inch by two and one-half inches.
What happens if a California notary's journal is lost or stolen?
Government Code § 8206 requires the notary to immediately notify the Secretary of State by certified or registered mail, or any other means of physical delivery providing a receipt, stating the period of the journal entries, the commission number, the expiration date and, where applicable, a photocopy of any police report that specifies the theft. Willful failure to report the theft or loss is a ground for discipline under § 8214.1(o).
How quickly must a California notary respond to a journal copy request?
Within 15 business days after receipt of the request, under Government Code § 8206.5, the California notary must either supply the photostatic copy requested or acknowledge that no such line item exists. Section 8206 caps the charge at not more than thirty cents ($0.30) per page, and the request must include the names of the parties, the type of document and the month and year in which it was notarized.
Practice questions