Q: As a Notary in California, am I required to keep a journal of notarial acts?

A: Yes. 

Q: What are the requirements of that journal?

A: The journal must meet the following criteria

1. Can be hardbound or electronic

2. Must include the date, time and type of each official act (IE jurat, CA acknowledgement, etc)

3. Character of every instrument sworn to, affirmed, acknowledged or proved before the notary (IE Deed of trust)

4. The signature of every person whose signature is being notarized by the notary public

5. A statement that the identity of a person making an acknowledgment or taking an oath or affirmation was based on “satisfactory evidence” pursuant to Civil Code section 1185

   1. Paper identification, the journal shall contain the type of identifying document, the governmental agency issuing the document, the serial or identifying number of the document, and the date of issue or expiration of the document;

   2. A single credible witness personally known to the notary public, the journal shall contain the signature of the credible witness or the type of identifying document, the governmental agency issuing the document, the serial or identifying number of the document, and the date of issue or expiration of the document establishing the identity of the credible witness; or

   3. Two credible witnesses whose identities are proven upon the presentation of satisfactory evidence, the journal shall contain the signatures of the credible witnesses and the type of identifying document, the governmental agency issuing the document, the serial or identifying number of the document, and the date of issue or expiration of the document establishing the identity of the credible witnesses.

6. Any fees charged by the notary for the notarization

7. Thumbprint of the signers (ONLY if the notarization deals with real property or power of attorney. Please read the CA SOS website for more)

Here is an example of a California notary journal entry for a transaction dealing with the need to capture a thumbprint

For more information on California notary journal requirements, read the entire Notary Handbook from California

The key to the California notary journal is that it MUST be sequential, meaning you can not jump between multiple different journals all at the same time - so you can't keep one at the office, one in your briefcase and one at home. Because of this, and the reoccurring cost of buying hardbound notary journals, I choose to keep an electronic journal instead of a hardbound journal. I just bring my Microsoft Surface with me in my briefcase and use a trusted notary software program to store journal entries

Nick Colvill, Certified Signing Agent in California