Which statement best describes the date of a document?

• A. Most of the time it is the date of the signature and usually coincides with the date of notarization; if there is no date, record that.
• B. The date of the signer’s birth
• C. The date the notary witnessed the document, regardless of signature
• D. The date the document was drafted by the attorney

Answer: (A)

In notary practice, the date on a document is the date the signer signs, and that same date is usually the date the document is notarized. This matters because the timing affects the document’s validity and the notarization record. If a document has no date, you should explicitly record that it is undated.

The other ideas don’t fit the common practice. The signer’s birth date has no bearing on when the document was executed. The date the notary witnessed the document should reflect the notarization, which normally aligns with the signing date, not someone else’s original date if one exists. The date the attorney drafted the document isn’t the date of execution or notarization.