Fast Five Q &A
Q: From our
Facebook group
: My renewal is up, and I don't want to get behind. Is there anything different I need to do during the coronavirus pandemic?
You should hear back from us within 10-15 business days. If you have any questions or are experiencing issues during the registration process, please email us at
notary@sosnc.gov
or call customer service at (919) 814-5400 during normal business hours.
Q: Another North Carolina notary asked on
our Facebook group
: Hi, so I received my okay for reappointment, but I need to take my oath. I called the Register of Deeds office and was informed that all appointments are booked thru June 30th. This is going to take me past the 45 days to appear before the Register of Deeds. What happens now?
Don’t worry. The time to appear before the Register of Deeds has been extended. We have notified the Register of Deeds that we have many commissioned or re-commissioned notaries since March 10 (the date of the statewide stay-at-home order), who have not taken their oath.
The legislation that was signed into law on May 4 gives these 900 notaries an extra 45 days to take their oath. Any notary commissioned through July 31, 2020 will also have 90 days to take his or her oath with the Register of Deeds office.
Here is a link to where all 100 registers of deeds offices can be found:
http://www.ncard.us/find-your-register-of-deeds/
.
Q: A notary asked us this question
via email
: I heard from a fellow notary that we are required to keep a journal for video notarizations. Is that accurate?
Be sure to include these items in your journal:
a. Time of day when the notary observed the signing of the document by each principal and was presented with the principal’s acceptable form of identification
b. Date of the completion of the emergency video notarization notarial certificate
c. Last and first name of the principal signer
d. Type of notarial act performed
e. Type of document notarized or proceeding performed
f. Type of acceptable form of identification presented including, if applicable, issuing agency and identification number on the identification presented
g. Type of video conference technology used during the emergency video notarization h. Statement that the notary and each principal signer could see and hear each other
h. Whether other persons were present in the room with the principal signer(s) and if so, the name of that person(s).
The notary may want to include other documentation in the journal such as:
i. An electronic recording using the video conference technology’s recording and storage services, a video recording of the video conference using an independent recording device like a Smart Phone, or electronically-saved screen shots of the transaction that clearly shows the face of each participant, any identification presented, and the notarized documents(s). This may be required by some interested parties to transactions, i.e. title insurance companies, mortgage lenders, or others
j. How the notary public confirmed that the document signed by the principal signer(s) during the emergency video notarization is the same as the one presented.
Q: Another question came to us on Facebook: Hello, everyone! I need to get my renewal done soon. What version book do I need to get and from what trusted vendor?
Q: From Facebook again: I have a quick question. I have someone who is trying to get documents notarized very quickly. I am a certified eNotary. Do I charge my rate of $10?
The answer is yes. Electronic notaries are allowed to charge $10 per signature. Regular commissioned notaries are allowed to charge up to $5 per signature.
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Do you have a question you’d like us to answer for the
Fast Five?
Let us know. Email us your question at
notarynews@sosnc.gov.
