Maine Notary Requirements

4 M.R.S. § 1907. Identification of individual. 1. Personal knowledge of identity. A notarial officer has personal knowledge of the identity of an individual appearing before the officer if the individual is personally known to the officer through dealings sufficient to provide reasonable certainty that the individual has the identity claimed. 2. Evidence of identity. A notarial officer has satisfactory evidence of the identity of an individual appearing before the officer if the officer can identify the individual: A. By means of: (1) A passport, driver's license or government-issued nondriver identification card; or (2) Another form of government identification issued to an individual that contains the signature or a photograph of the individual and is satisfactory to the notarial officer; or B. By a verification on oath or affirmation of a credible witness personally appearing before the notarial officer and known to the officer or whom the officer can identify on the basis of a passport, driver's license or government-issued nondriver identification card. 3. Additional information or credentials. A notarial officer may require an individual to provide additional information or identification credentials necessary to assure the officer of the identity of the individual.

4 M.R.S. § 1920 (Journal)

1. Journal required. A notarial officer shall maintain a journal for all electronic and remote notarizations. A notarial officer may maintain a journal for all tangible notarizations. The notarial officer shall retain the journal for 10 years after the performance of the last notarial act chronicled in the journal.

2. Tangible medium or electronic format permitted. A journal under this section may be created on a tangible medium or in an electronic format. A notarial officer shall maintain only one journal at a time to chronicle all notarial acts performed regarding tangible records and one or more journals to chronicle all notarial acts performed regarding electronic records. If the journal is maintained on a tangible medium, it must be a permanent, bound register with numbered pages. If the journal is maintained in an electronic format, it must be in a permanent, tamper-evident electronic format complying with the rules of the Secretary of State.

3. Requirements. An entry in a journal must be made contemporaneously with performance of the notarial act and contain the following information:
A. The date and time of the notarial act;
B. A description of the record, if any, and type of notarial act;
C. The full name and address of each individual for whom the notarial act is performed;
D. If identity of the individual is based on personal knowledge, a statement to that effect;
E. If identity of the individual is based on satisfactory evidence, a brief description of the method of identification and the identification credential presented, if any, including the dates of issuance and expiration of any identification credential; and
F. The fee, if any, charged by the notarial officer.

4. Lost or stolen journal. If a notarial officer's journal is lost or stolen, the officer shall promptly notify the Secretary of State on discovering that the journal is lost or stolen.

5. Retention. On resignation from, or the revocation or suspension of, a notary public's commission, the former notary public shall retain the former notary public's journal in accordance with subsection 1 and inform the Secretary of State where the journal is located.

6. Alternative to retention. Instead of retaining a journal as provided in subsection 5, a former notary public may transmit the journal to the Secretary of State or a repository approved by the Secretary of State.

7. Death or incompetency of notary public. On the death or adjudication of incompetency of a current or former notary public, the notary public's personal representative or guardian or any other person knowingly in possession of the journal shall transmit it to the Secretary of State or a repository approved by the Secretary of State.

29-250 C.M.R. ch. 700, Sec. 2(5)(E) (Fees for notarial services)

Any fee to be charged by a commissioned notary public for performing a notarial act must be disclosed in writing to the individual requesting the services of the notary public before the notarial act is performed. The notary public must obtain the individual's consent to any fee to be charged prior to performing the notarial act.