I retired in 2020 and became a commissioned Notary shortly after that. I must admit to being nervous to get started. I was hoping to find a Notary in Sussex / Morris County that I could meet with and possibly shadow, to get some experience. Thank you, Mark

An eSeal is basically the electronic version of your notary stamp. It’s what you actually see on the document. It shows your name, that you are a New Jersey Notary Public, your commission number, and your expiration date. Its main job is to display your official notary seal information on an electronic or remotely notarized document. On its own, an eSeal does not secure the document. It is just the electronic form of the stamp. A digital certificate works behind the scenes. You usually never see it, but it is what protects the document. It confirms that the notarization was really performed by you and it locks the document so that if anything is changed after the notarization, it will show that the document was tampered with. This is what makes an electronic or remote notarization trustworthy and verifiable. The easiest way to think about it is this: the eSeal is what the seal looks like on the document, and the digital certificate is what makes the document secure. Both are used together in remote online notarization.

Hey Community! I’m very pleased to welcome my very good friend and fellow Notary Nerd, @Chrissey Hunsaker (formerly Chrissey Ladd), to the NJNA Community. While Chrissey is no longer a commissioned New Jersey Notary after relocating to the West Coast, she spent many years serving as a NJ Notary and remains deeply connected to this profession. During that time, she was also my business partner, a wedding client of mine, and went on to earn national recognition as the National Notary Association’s Notary of the Year in 2011. Chrissey brings a strong professional background in banking, mortgage services, and regulatory compliance. She has an exceptional ability to analyze documents, processes, and notarial practices, and she is especially skilled at identifying issues before they become problems. That experience and perspective make her a valuable resource for any notary who wants to better understand the business, compliance, and risk management side of this field. We are fortunate to have her voice, insight, and experience in this community, and I know many of you will benefit from the knowledge she brings to the table. Thanks for joining us here, Chrissey. – Patrick

A new class has been posted in the Classroom tab. This class covers one of the most important responsibilities of a New Jersey notary: how to properly secure your journal and what to do immediately if it is ever lost or stolen. We also address something most of us would rather not think about, but absolutely must plan for: what needs to happen to your notary journal and notary supplies in the event of your death. We’ve taken this one step further by creating estate planning forms specifically for notaries. These documents can be printed and kept with your important legal papers. They provide your loved ones with clear, written instructions on where your journals are located, how to access them, and what steps must be taken to properly submit them to the State. This class is not just about compliance. It is about protecting the public, protecting your commission, and protecting the people who may one day be responsible for your records. We strongly encourage every member to complete this class.