§ 25-1213.Notarial protest as evidence of dishonor; bill of exchange or promissory note.

When a bill of exchange or promissory note goes unpaid, a notary public traditionally documents that failure through a formal protest. Section 25-1213 makes that document easier to use in court. The usual protest, without proof of the notary’s signature or notarial seal, stands as evidence of the dishonor and of notice of the dishonor.

Without this section, a party relying on a protest might otherwise have to call the notary or produce separate proof authenticating the notary’s signature and seal before the protest document could be admitted. This section removes that extra step for the usual form of protest, letting the document speak for itself on the question of dishonor and notice.

The section applies specifically to negotiable instruments — bills of exchange and promissory notes — the traditional subjects of formal notarial protest in commercial practice. Section 25-1216, dealing with written and printed instruments generally, and the Uniform Commercial Code provisions on commercial paper, sit alongside this section as related tools for proving facts about commercial documents.