Free Pennsylvania Notary Exam Flashcards

A Pennsylvania notary is a public officer commissioned by the Department of State to serve as an impartial witness, verify identity, and help deter fraud. The notary does not approve the legal effect of the document.

RULONA means the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts. It is Pennsylvania's main notary-law framework for notarial acts, certificates, identity standards, records, electronic notarization, and misconduct rules.

The Department of State commissions Pennsylvania notaries, receives applications, handles required notices, authorizes RON, and may discipline notaries for violations.

An applicant must be at least 18, be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident, be able to read and write English, and either reside in Pennsylvania or have a regular place of employment or practice in the Commonwealth.

A nonresident can qualify for a Pennsylvania notary commission if they have a regular place of employment or practice in Pennsylvania. County filing is tied to that Pennsylvania employment location.

Pennsylvania requires a 3-hour approved notary education course. New applicants must complete education before testing, and renewal applicants also need education even when they are exam-exempt.

The exam is a Pearson VUE computer-based test with 30 multiple-choice questions and a 60-minute time limit. To pass you need a scaled score of 75 on a 0-100 scale; it is not a percentage of questions answered correctly.

After application approval, the candidate has a 6-month authorization period to pass the Pennsylvania notary exam. Retakes must fit within that window, no more than one attempt per 24 hours.

Pennsylvania allows only one online proctored notary exam attempt. If that attempt is unsuccessful, later attempts must be taken at a physical Pearson VUE test site.

A Pennsylvania notary commission is valid for 4 years. The notary must renew before expiration to keep acting without a lapse.

If a Pennsylvania commission expires before reappointment, the applicant must qualify as a testing applicant again. A timely renewal of an unexpired commission avoids that exam requirement.

The required $25,000 surety bond (for appointments and reappointments on or after March 28, 2026) protects the public, not the notary. If the surety pays a valid claim, the notary can still be responsible for reimbursement and other liability.

After appointment, the notary must complete the oath, bond, signature registration, and county recording steps within 45 days. Missing the deadline voids the commission.

Once properly commissioned and filed, a Pennsylvania notary may perform notarial acts anywhere in Pennsylvania, not just in the county where the commission papers were recorded.

Pennsylvania authorizes acts such as acknowledgments, oaths and affirmations, verifications on oath or affirmation, witnessing or attesting signatures, certifying copies, and noting protests.

The signer generally must appear before the notary for the notarial act. For traditional notarization this means physical presence; for approved RON it means appearance through required communication technology.

A Pennsylvania notary must not notarize based on a phone call, email, prior relationship, or another person's assurance when the required appearance is missing.

In an acknowledgment, the signer appears, is identified, and confirms that the signature is theirs and was made voluntarily. The document may have been signed before the notarial appointment.

A verification on oath or affirmation requires the signer to swear or affirm that the statement is true and sign in the notary's presence. It is the RULONA term often associated with affidavits.

An oath invokes a religious or sacred pledge, while an affirmation is a secular promise. Both have the same legal effect, and Pennsylvania allows either one to be given orally or in writing.

For witnessing or attesting a signature, the notary must identify the signer and actually observe the signing. Unlike a verification, no oath or affirmation is required.

A Pennsylvania notary may certify that a copy matches an original document when authorized. The notary compares the original and copy rather than verifying the document owner's identity.

A Pennsylvania notary may not certify copies of vital records (birth and death certificates), U.S. naturalization certificates, or government records marked "do not copy." Public records, passports, driver's licenses, diplomas and contracts can be certified.

Identity may be based on personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence such as an acceptable current government-issued photo ID or a properly qualified credible witness.

Personal knowledge means the notary has enough direct familiarity with the signer to identify them without relying on ID documents for that act.

A credible witness can identify a signer who lacks acceptable ID. The witness must be personally known to the notary, personally know the signer, appear at the same time, have no direct or pecuniary interest in the record, and verify the signer's identity on oath or affirmation.

If the notary is not satisfied about the person's identity, the act must be refused. The notary should not solve the problem by lowering the identification standard.

A notary must refuse when the signer appears unwilling, coerced, confused, or unable to understand the transaction. The notary's role includes screening for voluntary, competent participation.

Every Pennsylvania notarial act must be evidenced by a certificate. The certificate records the act performed, date, venue, notary signature, and official stamp or seal information.

The venue identifies where the notarization occurs, usually by state and county. It is not the signer's residence and not necessarily the county connected to the document.

The notary, not the signer, completes the notarial certificate. The notary must ensure the certificate matches the act actually performed.

Pennsylvania certificate wording must be in English and must not falsely state facts. The notary should not choose or draft legal wording for a customer when doing so would be legal advice.

Pennsylvania requires a notary journal. Entries must be made in chronological order and may be kept in a compliant bound paper journal or electronic journal.

A journal creates an independent record of the act, including when it occurred, what type of act was performed, how identity was established, and what fee was charged if any.

Within 30 days after a commission expires (unless the notary has applied to renew), is resigned or is revoked, the journal goes to the recorder of deeds in the county where the notary last kept an office. The 10-year retention rule applies to remote-session recordings.

A lost or stolen Pennsylvania notary journal must be reported to the Department of State, in writing or by email, within 15 days of discovering the loss. Prompt reporting helps protect the notary and the public record from misuse.

Pennsylvania requires an official rubber stamp seal. It must show required information such as Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Notary Seal, the notary's name, county, commission expiration, and commission number under current regulations.

An embosser may be used as an additional impression, but it does not replace the required Pennsylvania rubber stamp seal.

If the official stamp is lost or stolen, the notary must notify the Department of State in writing or by email within 15 days of discovering it, then use a replacement stamp.

Pennsylvania sets maximum fees for notarial acts. A notary may charge less or nothing, but cannot exceed the allowed maximum for the act performed.

Most standard Pennsylvania notarial acts and signature witnessing are listed at $5, while electronic or remote notarizations may allow a higher fee. Always match the fee to the act actually performed.

A Pennsylvania notary may not notarize their own signature. The notary cannot be both the officer performing the act and the person whose signature is being notarized.

Pennsylvania's test is interest, not family: a notary may not notarize a record in which the notary or the notary's spouse has a direct or pecuniary interest. A spouse's signature is allowed only when neither has such an interest.

A non-attorney notary cannot give legal advice, explain legal consequences, choose legal forms for a customer, or prepare legal documents as legal work.

Pennsylvania restricts use of terms such as notario or notario publico because they can imply legal authority in some languages. Advertising must not suggest the notary can act as an attorney or immigration consultant.

The Department of State may deny, suspend, revoke, or reprimand a notary commission for misconduct. Administrative and criminal penalties may also apply for violations.

Remote online notarization is not a separate commission. A Pennsylvania notary must already hold a valid commission and receive Department authorization to perform RON.

For a Pennsylvania RON, the notary must be physically located in Pennsylvania during the act. The remotely located signer may be elsewhere if the RON requirements are met.

When personal knowledge or a credible witness is not used, RON identity proofing requires at least two different methods, commonly credential analysis and knowledge-based authentication through an approved platform.

A RON certificate must state that the act used communication technology. The audio-video recording of the session must be retained for at least 10 years, and the journal should reflect the remote method.