Stamping Device and Journal Requirements
This domain tests the physical and recordkeeping side of notarization: the official stamp and the journal. Maryland exam questions often turn on whether a stamp is legally sufficient and whether the notary’s journal entry captures the required facts.
The official stamp
Maryland requires a notary to use an official stamp or seal that is legible and photographically reproducible. The stamp must show the notary’s name exactly as commissioned, the words “Notary Public,” the words “State of Maryland,” and the commission expiration date. Some Maryland guidance also calls for the commission number, so a stamp that omits required elements is defective. Keep the stamp secure, report loss or theft to the Secretary of State, and destroy or surrender it when the commission ends. Never pre-stamp blank documents or leave a stamped document incomplete.
The journal
A Maryland notary must keep a journal of notarial acts. For each act, record the date and time, the type of act, the document title or description, the signer’s name and address, the method of identification, the fee charged, and the signer’s signature. The journal may be paper or electronic but must be secure and retained for the required period-commonly ten years after the last entry. Do not record full identity-document numbers in a way that creates unnecessary risk; follow the Secretary of State’s guidance. Produce the journal to the Secretary of State on lawful request.
Worked example
A notary’s stamp reads “A. Jones, Notary Public, Maryland” but lacks the expiration date. A document bearing that stamp is defective. The notary must order a compliant stamp showing the full commissioned name, “Notary Public,” “State of Maryland,” and the expiration date before performing further acts.
Traps
Watch for stamps missing the expiration date, using a nickname instead of the commissioned name, failing to journal an act, and discarding the journal when a commission renews. A journal is not a public sign-in sheet; keep it under the notary’s control.