Source: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacodefull/title47.1/
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Code of Virginia Code - Title 47.1. Notaries and Out-of State Commissioners
Table of Contents » Title 47.1. Notaries and Out-of State Commissioners
Title 47.1. Notaries and Out-of State Commissioners
Chapter 2. Appointment.
§ 47.1-4. Qualification for appointment.
To be qualified to be commissioned as a notary in the Commonwealth, each such person (i) shall be at least 18 years of age, (ii) shall be a legal resident of the United States, (iii) shall be able to read and write the English language, (iv) shall never have been convicted of a felony under the laws of the United States, the Commonwealth, or any other state, unless such person has been pardoned for such felony, has had his conviction vacated by the granting of a writ of actual innocence, or has had his rights restored, and (v) shall otherwise be in compliance with the provisions of this title. A nonresident of Virginia may register and be commissioned as a notary only if he is regularly employed in the Commonwealth and meets all of the requirements of this section. A member of the armed services of the United States shall be eligible to register and be commissioned as a notary notwithstanding the provisions of § 2.2-2800.
Code 1950, §§ 47-2, 47-3; 1972, c. 824; 1976, c. 559; 1979, c. 14; 1980, c. 580; 1983, c. 435; 1986, c. 561; 1989, c. 163; 2007, cc. 269, 590; 2013, c. 86.
§ 47.1-5.1. Application for recommission.
Persons already commissioned as notaries public or electronic notaries public pursuant to this title and who are submitting application for recommission as a notary or electronic notary may submit applications to the Secretary in person, by first-class mail, or online, provided online applications contain electronic signatures, authorized by the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (§ 59.1-479 et seq.), as confirmation that the application has been signed and sworn pursuant to § 47.1-5.
2011, cc. 123, 177; 2014, c. 703.
§ 47.1-6. Reserved.
§ 47.1-9. Oath of notary; duties of clerks.
Before receiving his commission, each person appointed a notary shall appear before the clerk of the circuit court to which his commission has been sent, present sufficient satisfaction of evidence of identity as defined in § 47.1-2, and make oath as follows:
"I,................, solemnly swear (or affirm) under penalty of perjury, that I have carefully read the notary laws of this Commonwealth, and am familiar with their provisions; that I will uphold the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution and laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia; and that I will faithfully perform, to the best of my ability, the duties of the office of notary public."
Such oath shall be signed by the applicant and attested by the clerk. The clerk shall thereupon issue to the applicant his commission as notary public or electronic notary public. Within 14 days of such qualification, the clerk shall certify the fact of such qualification to the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
No person shall be permitted to qualify who does not appear before the clerk within 60 days of his appointment. The clerk of each circuit court shall, at least once each month, return to the Secretary all commissions which have not been claimed within such 60-day period, and the Secretary shall forthwith cancel the same.
1980, c. 580; 2007, cc. 269, 590; 2008, cc. 117, 814; 2012, c. 566.
§ 47.1-10. Records of the Secretary.
The Secretary of the Commonwealth shall keep a record of the names of all notaries public and electronic notaries public and the dates of their registration and qualification. The Secretary shall also retain a specimen of the signature of each notary commissioned pursuant to this chapter. The specimen may be retained in photographic form.
The Secretary shall also be required to retain the completed applications of persons seeking appointment as notary public for a period of three months after their receipt; provided, however, that he shall retain the applications of persons refused appointment for not less than four years.
The Secretary may maintain these records in digital format.
Code 1950, § 47-2; 1962, p. 687; 1976, c. 559; 1979, c. 14; 1980, c. 580; 2007, cc. 269, 590.
§ 47.1-11. Reference materials.
The Secretary shall prepare, from time to time, reference materials for notaries public and electronic notaries public which shall contain the provisions of this title and such other information as the Secretary shall deem useful. Copies of the reference materials shall be made available to persons seeking appointment as notaries public and electronic notaries public as well as to other interested persons. The Secretary may make the materials available in digital format but shall provide written copies of the materials upon request.
1980, c. 580; 2007, cc. 269, 590.
Chapter 3. Powers and Duties.
B. Any notary commissioned pursuant to this title may likewise perform notarial acts outside the Commonwealth, where such notarial acts are performed in accordance with this chapter.
Code 1950, § 47-2.1; 1978, c. 621; 1980, c. 580; 2007, cc. 269, 590; 2008, cc. 117, 814; 2011, cc. 731, 834.
§ 47.1-13.1. Notarial powers outside the Commonwealth for use in the Commonwealth.
A. Notarial acts may be performed outside the Commonwealth for use in the Commonwealth with the same effect as if performed by a notary public of the Commonwealth by the following persons authorized pursuant to the laws and regulations of other governments in addition to any other person authorized by the laws and regulations of the Commonwealth:
1. A notary public authorized to perform notarial acts under the laws of that jurisdiction;
3. An officer of the foreign service of the United States, a consular agent, or any other person authorized by regulation of the United States Department of State to perform notarial acts in the place in which the act is performed;
4. A commissioned officer in active service with the armed forces of the United States and any other person authorized by regulation of the armed forces to perform notarial acts if the notarial act is performed for one of the following or his dependents: a merchant seaman of the United States, a member of the armed forces of the United States, or any other person serving with or accompanying the armed forces of the United States; or
5. Any person authorized to perform acts in the place in which the act is performed.
B. A document notarized outside the Commonwealth by a notary public or other person referenced in subsection A which appears on its face to be properly notarized shall be presumed to have been notarized properly in accordance with the laws and regulations of the jurisdiction in which the document was notarized.
2008, cc. 117, 814.
C. A notary performing electronic notarial acts shall keep, maintain, protect, and provide for lawful inspection an electronic record of notarial acts that contains at least the following for each notarial act performed: (i) the date and time of day of the notarial act; (ii) the type of notarial act; (iii) the type, title, or a description of the document or proceeding; (iv) the printed name and address of each principal; (v) the evidence of identity of each principal in the form of either a statement that the person is personally known to the notary, a notation of the type of identification document, which may be a copy of the driver's license or other photographic image of the individual's face, or the printed name and address of each credible witness swearing or affirming to the person's identity, and, for credible witnesses who are not personally known to the notary or electronic notary, a description of the type of identification documents relied on by the notary; and (vi) the fee, if any, charged for the notarial act. If video and audio conference technology authorized under § 47.1-2 is the basis for satisfactory evidence of identity and the principal's identity has been ascertained upon presentation of such satisfactory evidence of identity, the electronic notary shall keep a copy of the recording of the video and audio conference and a notation of the type of any other identification used. The electronic notary shall take reasonable steps to (a) ensure the integrity, security, and authenticity of electronic notarizations, (b) maintain a backup for his electronic record of notarial acts, and (c) ensure protection of such backup records from unauthorized use. The electronic record of an electronic notarial act shall be maintained for a period of at least five years from the date of the transaction.
1980, c. 580; 2002, c. 379; 2007, cc. 269, 590; 2008, cc. 117, 814; 2011, cc. 731, 834.
2007, cc. 269, 590; 2008, c. 685; 2011, cc. 731, 834.
§ 47.1-15.1. Additional prohibition on advertising; penalties.
A. A notary public shall not offer or provide legal advice on immigration or other legal matters, or represent any person in immigration proceedings, unless such notary public is authorized or licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth or is accredited pursuant to 8 C.F.R. § 292.2 to practice immigration law or represent persons in immigration proceedings.
B. A notary public shall not assume, use, or advertise the title of "notario," "notario publico," or "licenciado," or a term in a language other than English that indicates in such language that the notary is authorized to provide legal advice or practice law, unless such notary public is authorized or licensed to practice law in Virginia.
C. Any person who violates the provisions of subsection B is subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $500 for a first violation and a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000 for a second or subsequent violation. All penalties arising under this section shall be recovered in a civil action brought by the Attorney General in the name of the Commonwealth and the proceeds shall be deposited into the Legal Aid Services Fund established in § 17.1-278.
D. Nothing in this section shall preempt or preclude additional civil, administrative, or criminal penalties authorized by law.
2014, cc. 544, 783.
"My commission expires the … day of......,....."
E. A notary's electronic signature and seal shall conform to the standards for electronic notarization developed in accordance with § 47.1-6.1.
Code 1950, § 55-116; 1980, c. 580; 2007, cc. 269, 590; 2008, cc. 117, 814; 2009, c. 160.
§ 47.1-17. Change of name.
Any notary duly registered and commissioned in this Commonwealth, who shall legally change his name during his term of office as a notary shall, after such change of name, when performing any notarial act, have written or printed in or annexed to each certificate the words: "I was commissioned notary as........," or the equivalent. However, any electronic notary public who shall legally change his name shall make application with the Secretary for a new electronic notary commission within 90 days of such legal name change.
Code 1950, § 55-117; 1973, c. 401; 1980, c. 580; 2007, cc. 269, 590.
§ 47.1-18. Notice of change of address; etc.
A. Any notary public who changes the address of his residence shall forthwith notify the Secretary of the fact by mailing or delivering a written notice which shall contain the new address, or in electronic format as the Secretary may prescribe.
B. Any notary who is commissioned as a nonresident shall notify the Secretary of the Commonwealth of any change in his place of employment.
§ 47.1-19. Fees.
A. A notary may, for taking and certifying the acknowledgment of any writing, or administering and certifying an oath, or certifying affidavits and depositions of witnesses, or certifying that a copy of a document is a true copy thereof, charge a fee up to $5.
B. A notary may, for taking and certifying the acknowledgement of any electronic document, or administering and certifying an oath or affirmation, or certifying electronic affidavits and depositions of witnesses, or certifying that a copy of an electronic document is a true copy thereof, charge a fee not to exceed $25.
C. Any person appointed as a member of an electoral board or a general registrar shall be prohibited from collecting any fee as a notary during the time of such appointment. Any person appointed as an assistant registrar or officer of election shall be prohibited from collecting any fee as a notary for services relating to the administration of elections or the election laws.
D. It shall be unlawful for any notary to charge more than the fee established herein for any notarial act; however, a notary may recover, with the agreement of the person to be charged, any actual and reasonable expense of traveling to a place where a notarial act is to be performed if it is not the usual place in which the notary performs his office.
1980, c. 580; 1981, c. 311; 1996, c. 219; 2003, c. 881; 2005, c. 18; 2007, cc. 227, 269, 590.
§ 47.1-20. Fee agreements with employer.
A. Any employer, as a condition of employment of a person who is a notary, may require the employee to perform notarial acts in the course of or in connection with such employment without charging the fee allowed by law for the performance of such acts.
B. Any employer may require a notary in his employment to surrender to such employer a fee, if charged, or any part thereof, provided that the notarial act for which the fee is charged is performed during the course of such employee's employment.
1980, c. 580; 2007, cc. 269, 590; 2018, c. 698.
§ 47.1-20.1. Validation of certain acts.
Oaths of office administered by a notary public on or before July 1, 1982, are hereby deemed to be valid and actions of any public officer taking such oaths are hereby deemed valid.
1983, c. 435.
Chapter 4. Term of Office.
§ 47.1-22. Resignation; removal from Commonwealth; etc.
A. A notary may resign his commission by mailing or delivering to the Secretary a letter of resignation.
B. Any notary who ceases to be a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia shall, from that time, cease to be a notary; provided, however, that such notary may maintain his commission with the written consent of the Secretary if he meets the qualifications for nonresident appointment under § 47.1-4.
C. Any nonresident notary who ceases to be employed in this Commonwealth shall forthwith cease to be a notary.
D. Every notary who wishes to resign from office, or who ceases to be a notary pursuant to subsections B or C of this section, shall forthwith mail or deliver his commission to the Secretary, who shall cancel the same. The notary shall be responsible for the destruction of the official physical seal.
E. Every electronic notary who wishes to resign his commission or who ceases to be a notary pursuant to this section shall forthwith erase, delete, or destroy the coding, disk, certificate, card, software, or password that enables electronic affixation of the notary's official electronic signature or seal and so certify to the Secretary.
F. A former electronic notary, whose previous commission or application was not revoked or denied, need not erase, delete, or destroy the coding, disk, certificate, card, software, or password that enables electronic affixation of the notary's official electronic signature or seal if he is recommissioned and reregistered as an electronic notary using the same electronic signature and seal within three months after commission expiration.
§ 47.1-23. Grounds for removal from office.
10. Fails to keep the official physical seal, journal, or device, coding, disk, certificate, card, software, or passwords used to affix the notary's official electronic signature or seal under the exclusive control of the notary when not in use.
Chapter 5. Removal.
Chapter 7. Out-of State Commissioners [Repealed].
§§ 47.1-31 through 47.1-33. Repealed.
Repealed by Acts 2007, cc. 269 and 590, cl. 2.