Updating Your
Notary Records
Are your notary records current and accurate? Montana law requires all notaries to notify the Secretary of State when information on your commission changes. Since notary commission terms are four years, it’s not unusual for addresses, phone numbers, or employment information to become obsolete. If it’s been a while since you’ve checked your records with us, now is a great time to log in to the online portal and make sure everything is up to date and correct.
- Log in to the online filing system: https://biz.sosmt.gov
- Click on “My Records” from the menu on the left, then “Notary” from the division menu at the top
- Click on the icon under “Actions”
- Click on “Filing Actions” on the right side of your screen
- Select “Notary Public Amendment”
- Make changes, if necessary, and submit the filing.
If you want to make a name change, you will have to obtain a “rider” from your bonding company to submit with the amendment filing. Be sure to sign the rider with your new signature before scanning it for uploading to the filing system.
This is also a great opportunity to make sure you are spotlighting any special services you offer, so the public can find you when looking for RON, RIN, or Mobile notary services.
There is no charge for updating your information.
The Care, Feeding, and
Use of Loose Notary Certificates
It’s not unusual for notaries to be asked to notarize documents that either don’t have a notarial certificate, or the notarial certificate on the document is not compliant with Montana law. These situations are often frustrating for notaries, but they shouldn’t prevent you from fulfilling the customer’s request.
Your first choice when faced with these situations would be to make any necessary corrections to the pre-printed certificate. If a pre-printed certificate was not provided by the client, handwrite a compliant certificate, including the proper verbiage, on the document as close to the principal’s signature as possible if there is no certificate language on the document.
You can make certain changes to a pre-printed certificate. If the venue was pre-printed for another state and/or county, you can line through the incorrect information and enter the state and county where you performed the notarization. If the pre-printed date is not correct, you must enter the date when you actually performed the notarization. If the pre-printed certificate shows multiple names and you are only notarizing for one of the individuals listed, then you should line through the other names. The only thing you can’t change is the type of notarial act – you must perform the type of notarization that the document originally called for. After editing and completing the notary certificate, proofread it to make sure it makes sense and is true and accurate.
Your second choice is to complete and attach a “loose certificate” to the document.
Loose certificates come in two categories: A printed label (think shipping label) that will be permanently stuck on the signature page of the document, or a separate piece of paper that is attached to the document. Templates for both stick-on label certificates and separate certificates can be downloaded from the notary website.
If you use a stick-on label, it should be placed as close to the signature as possible or on the back side of the page with the signature. A stick-on certificate should not be used on a separate piece of paper. However, when using a loose certificate on a separate piece of paper, it is important that the certificate is not only physically attached (stapled) to the document, but it should also be cross referenced to the data shown on the document. You should note, “See notarization attached” next to the signature that you are notarizing, and include verbiage to the effect of, “This certificate is to be attached to [indicate type of document], dated _________, consisting of _____ pages” on the certificate page. Loose certificates do increase the potential for fraud, so it is imperative that you take extra care to protect the integrity of the document, as well as your customer and yourself.
Whenever you use a loose certificate or make changes to a pre-printed certificate, it is a best practice to note that information in your journal.
The Mission of the Office of the Secretary of State is to protect the integrity of elections, be an asset to businesses and preserve official history.
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