When must the notary's commission expiration date be checked?

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Multiple Choice

When must the notary's commission expiration date be checked?

A notary’s authority comes from a live commission, so you must confirm that your commission is active before every notarial act. The expiration date marks the end of your legal authority, and performing a notarization after it has expired is not allowed. Therefore, the correct practice is to verify the commission’s current status for each notarization to ensure you are authorized to act. If the commission has expired, you must not proceed and should renew before continuing. This ongoing verification is necessary, not just at the start of the year or when you begin a new service, and not never.

A notary’s authority comes from a live commission, so you must confirm that your commission is active before every notarial act. The expiration date marks the end of your legal authority, and performing a notarization after it has expired is not allowed. Therefore, the correct practice is to verify the commission’s current status for each notarization to ensure you are authorized to act. If the commission has expired, you must not proceed and should renew before continuing. This ongoing verification is necessary, not just at the start of the year or when you begin a new service, and not never.

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