Notary Handbook - the Montana Secretary of State Website

SAMPLE JOURNAL ENTRIES
The Secretary of State has not defined a specific format for the Notary Journal. You may choose the design that fits
your particular demands best. There are several designs on the market; all of them include spaces for the
information required by Montana law. You do not need to fill out sections requesting information not required by
law, such as thumbprints. The required information is the same for both paper and electronic journals – only the
method of recording is different.
Below is a list of the information that must be included in every journal entry, regardless of the format:
Date Notarized: This is the date on which you actually performed the notarization; it may or may
not be the same as the date of document, which may be earlier but not later than the date of
notarization.
Type of Notarization: There are seven types of notarial acts: an ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, a
SIGNATURE, a JURAT, an OATH, a CERTIFIED COPY, a DEPOSITION, and a PROTEST OF INSTRUMENT.
See pages 13 - 14 for more information about the types of notarial acts and how you determine
which act a particular document demands.
Date of Document: This date can be the date
the document was issued or the date it was
signed and is usually printed on the document
before it is signed. If no date appears on the
document, you may consider the date of
notarization as the date of the document.
Type of Document: This can be a very generic
term of art (i.e., “contract”, “motion”), a form
number, or a short description of the
document. The signer must be able to explain
to you what type of document is being signed
if it is not obvious to you.
Type of ID: Again, your possible entries are
limited: If you know the signer well, enter
PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE; if you are relying on
SATISFACTORY EVIDENCE, you should just
enter the issuing entity and type of document
(ex: “Montana DL”); and finally, if you rely on
a CREDIBLE WITNESS your journal should
reflect that you performed two separate
When performing a
notarization, we recommend that
you complete the journal entry
first and have the signer
enter his/her printed name,
address, and signature before
you complete the notarial block
on the document.
notarial acts, including the oath of the credible witness and the acknowledgement, signature, or
jurat of the signer.
The Printed Name, Signature, And Address of the Signer: This is absolutely the most important
entry in the journal. This proves that the signer was in your physical presence at the time the
notarization was performed. Whenever possible, the printed name and address should be entered
by the customer; the signature, of course, must always be entered by the customer.
Other Information: Use this space to include any information that may be pertinent to the
situation. It is especially helpful to note anything unusual or additional that occurred or was a part
of the transaction. Many journal entries will not require any additional information.
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