North Carolina Notary Exam Practice Questions: Electronic and Remote Notarization (2026)

Electronic vs remote, registering and the course

The exam keeps these two things separate, and the first trap is presence. Standard electronic notarization is performing one of the four electronic acts on an electronic record, and N.C.G.S. § 10B-116 is explicit that it shall not be performed if the signer is not in the presence of the electronic notary at the time of notarization. Remote electronic notarization adds communication technology so a remotely located principal can appear by real-time audio-video link under N.C.G.S. § 10B-134.5. Both are gated by registration: under N.C.G.S. § 10B-106 a notary must register the capability to notarize electronically or remotely with the Secretary before performing any notarial act under Article 2. That registration is not free or automatic. N.C.G.S. § 10B-107 requires a four-hour electronic notarization course and its examination, in addition to the educational requirements already provided in Article 1, and N.C.G.S. § 10B-108 sets a registration fee of fifty dollars ($50.00), in addition to the $50 commission fee in N.C.G.S. § 10B-13. The Secretary may deny a registration where the form contains a significant misstatement or omission of fact under N.C.G.S. § 10B-105. The electronic toolkit is locked to its purpose: N.C.G.S. § 10B-125 says the notary's electronic signature, in combination with the electronic notary seal, shall be used only for performing electronic notarial acts. N.C.G.S. § 10B-115 lists exactly four electronic acts, acknowledgments, jurats, verifications or proofs, and oaths or affirmations, and N.C.G.S. § 10B-117 requires the electronic notarial component to carry the words Electronic Notary Public, or Electronic Notary Public Utilizing Communication Technology.

Where the notary sits, identity proofing and the 10-year journal backup

A common remote-notarization trap is who may be elsewhere. Under N.C.G.S. § 10B-134.7 an electronic notary may perform a remote electronic notarial act only while the electronic notary is physically located in this State: it is the principal who may be remote, never the notary. Identity for a remote act is rigorous. N.C.G.S. § 10B-134.11 requires the electronic notary personally to perform a comparison of the current document presented during credential analysis against the image of the remotely located principal seen via the communication technology, on top of the credential analysis and identity proofing a third-party vendor performs. That vendor is defined in N.C.G.S. § 10B-134.1 as any person providing credential analysis, identity proofing, or custodial services to electronic notaries, and the communication technology must, under the same definitions, make reasonable accommodations for principals with vision, hearing, or speech impairments. Before acting, N.C.G.S. § 10B-134.9 requires the notary to judge that the principal does not appear to be incompetent, lacking understanding, or acting involuntarily, under duress, or undue influence. Records carry long-tail duties. The electronic journal is the exclusive property of the electronic notary under N.C.G.S. § 10B-134.15, and where it is surrendered to an employer because it consists of remote notarizations made in the employer's business, the notary must still keep an accurate backup copy of the journal for 10 years after the last remote electronic notarization entered into it. The communication technology must employ data protection safeguards consistent with generally accepted information security standards under N.C.G.S. § 10B-134.17. One narrow real-estate carve-out also appears: N.C.G.S. § 10B-134.25 says nothing in the Part alters the requirement that a licensed North Carolina attorney supervise a residential real estate closing. When a commission ends, N.C.G.S. § 10B-128 requires the notary or representative to erase, delete, or destroy the software, files or programs enabling the official electronic signature and to notify the Secretary within 45 days.