• Taking an acknowledgement.
  
  
• Administering an oath.
  
  
• Administering an affirmation.
  
  
• Taking a verification upon oath.
  
  
• Taking a verification upon affirmation.
  
  
• Witnessing a signature.
  
  
• Attesting a signature.
  
  
• Certifying a copy.
  
  
• Attesting a copy.
  
  
• Noting a protest of a negotiable instrument.

(NOTE: Further information and definitions of some important terms are provided in Chapter 3 of this tutorial, entitled "Notarial Acts".)

• Check identification if you don't know the signer.
  
  
• Use the proper ceremony and written certificate language.
  
  
• Sign only and exactly the same name as the one on your notary seal/stamp.
  
  
• Affix a legible impression of your seal/stamp.
  
  
• Indicate your commission expiration date.
  
  
• It is always advisable to check the document to be sure there are no blanks or incomplete statements. (If, for instance the document has blanks for two persons to sign, but you are witnessing only one signature, include the name of the signature you are witnessing in the notarial statement.)
  
  
• Wisconsin Statutes require all notaries public, including attorneys, to affix a clear impression of their official notarial seal or stamp every time a notarial act is performed. (Rarely a preprinted form that requires notarization will state "Notary seal not required". A particular filing officer may make that determination for various administrative reasons. If space on the form permits, you should affix your seal or stamp as is required by the Wisconsin Statutes.)
  
  
• Every official act of a notary must be attested by his or her handwritten signature, not a rubber stamped signature. The signature must be the same as on file with the Office of the Secretary of State and must read the same as that on the seal/stamp.
  
  
• See the Chapter 4 named Notarial Ceremonies for sample statements.

• Since a Notary must always be an objective witness, the validity and effectiveness of notarizing your own signature is questionable, and, therefore, not advised. Most filing officers (registers of deeds, county clerks, state offices and courts, etc.) will not accept documents on which a notary has notarized his/her own signature.

• A notary is not prohibited from witnessing the signatures of a spouse or relative. However, if the documents were to be questioned for any cause, the notarial act may be scrutinized more closely than if the notary was not a spouse or relative. Also, if the document is one from which you may derive a benefit, your right to receive that benefit may be jeopardized.

• You may proceed with the notarial act if you are certain the signer understands the content of the document and realizes the consequences of signing it.

• Remember that you are personally responsible and can be held legally liable for your notarial acts. Never notarize if you feel pressured to hurry, skip steps (like checking identification), or if the customer withholds part of the document, showing you only the notarial portion. If the content of the document has lines that should be filled in and are left blank, has text that is blacked out or covered with "white-out", or refers to additional pages that are missing, do not jeopardize yourself by putting your name and seal on the document. Similarly, if the document contains blatant anti-government text, unreasonable claims, or if the notarial act is pre-printed and contains additional, non-standard language, you may choose to decline to notarize.

• DO NOT help customers prepare the papers they need to be notarized UNLESS you are an attorney licensed to practice law in Wisconsin. A notary public who is not an attorney may not engage in the practice of law - which includes the preparation of legal papers, such as wills, contracts, deeds, powers of attorney, etc.

• There is no reference in the Wisconsin Statutes that prohibits you from notarizing a document written in a foreign language. However, if you do not understand the contents of the document, you are encouraged to find another notary who does understand it, or you may wish to refuse to notarize it. You might check with a university language department, a foreign students' office or a consulate.

• YOU ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED from making copies, certified or uncertified, of "vital records", which include certificates of birth, death, divorce, annulment, marriage, etc. Never notarize photocopies of vital records that a person may bring to you. Preparing or issuing anything that carries the appearance of an original or copy of a vital record could cause you to be fined not more than $10,000, imprisoned for not more than 3 years and 6 months, or both.
  
  
• Copies of vital records are appropriately obtained from their official custodian: a state or county office of vital records, or similar government records office.

• The place where an act is performed is called the "venue". On a notarized document, IT SHOWS THE LOCATION WHERE THE NOTARIAL ACT TOOK PLACE, NOT THE COUNTY WHERE THE NOTARY RESIDES. The venue is usually indicated near the top of a document, as "State of Wisconsin, County of Dane". Indicating the county of venue is an important part of every notarial act.

• Your notary commission allows you to act as a Notary Public in all counties in the state of Wisconsin.

• Wisconsin notaries public who are not commissioned in any other state may only perform notarial acts in the state of Wisconsin. Notaries Public who are commissioned in other states may perform notarial acts only in the states that they are commissioned in. (This is dependent on the other states regulations.)

• There is no section of the Wisconsin Statutes that makes it unlawful for a notary to act on a Sunday or holiday.

• You may charge no more than 50¢ (.50 cents) for performing most notarial acts. (Refer to § 137.01(9) of the Wisconsin Statutes for further information.)

• Your bond will not cover you. It is to protect the parties injured by your misconduct. You cannot collect the $500 from your bond. On proof of your misconduct, all or part of your bond would be awarded to the party suing you. In addition, the bond company might sue you to recover the money they had to pay out. If the damages were more than $500, you would have to pay the additional amount. REMEMBER, IF YOU ARE SUED, THE DAMAGES ARE YOUR PERSONAL REPSONSIBILITY! To protect yourself, you may wish to purchase an "Errors & Omissions" insurance policy.