What must a Notary Public do after completing a notarization?

After completing a notarization, a Notary Public is required to finalize the document in their journal. The journal serves as an official record of all notarial acts performed, and documenting the completion of each notarization ensures compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. This record typically includes essential details such as the date, type of notarization, names of the signers, and any identification used.

Maintaining an accurate and complete journal is crucial for several reasons. It provides a traceable history of the notarial acts and can be referred to in case there are questions or disputes about the notarization in the future. Additionally, proper journal maintenance is an important part of fulfilling a Notary's duties responsibly and ethically.

The other options may be relevant actions in certain contexts but do not align with the mandated responsibilities immediately following a notarization. For instance, while it is helpful to inform the signer about the next steps, this is not a required step of the notarization process itself. Shredding unnecessary copies of the document or storing it safely might be part of a broader document management strategy but is not a specific requirement tied to the duties of a Notary Public immediately after notarization.