4 Elements Of A Notary Certificate
 

Some states offer sample certificates and certificate wording in their statutes or on an agency website that regulates Notaries (usually the Secretary of State’s office). Other states offer less specific guidelines or none at all. In all cases, look for the following elements on a Notary certificate:

 

• The proper venue clause indicating where the document was notarized (usually the county and state but in some places, the city and the state, or simply “District of Columbia” in Washington, D.C.);

• The body (sometimes called the “statement of particulars”), that contains the name of the signer, the date of notarization and wording to indicate the type of notarization — plus facts surrounding the notarization that are important to memorialize;

• The Notary’s official signature;

• The Notary’s official seal.

 

While not all states require certificates to include all of these elements, it is recommended in order to properly identify and document who appeared before you, and when and where the notarial act occurred.

The two certificates Notaries complete the most frequently are acknowledgments and jurats. Knowing the difference between the two is vital since they serve very different purposes.

 

What Is An Acknowledgment?
 

The purpose of an acknowledgment is to ensure that the signer of a document is who he/she claims and that he/she voluntarily signed the document. Many important documents, such as deeds, mortgages, deeds of trust and powers of attorney all require acknowledgments.

 

What You Need To Know About ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 

• Their main purpose is to provide proof the Notary positively identified the signer and verified that the signer freely signed the document(s).

• They are used on deeds, mortgages and powers of attorney.

• The signer must personally appear before the Notary to acknowledge his/her signature.

• The Notary is not required to witness the signer executing the document, but the signer must acknowledge the signature.

• In some states, there are prescribed acknowledgment certificates to use for signers in various capacities, like attorney in fact.

 

What Is A Jurat?
 

The main purpose of the jurat (or “verification upon oath”) is to require that the signer be compelled to truthfulness regarding content of the document. This is accomplished by the Notary administering an oath or affirmation.

 

What You Need To Know About JURATS

 

• They are known in some states as “Verification Upon Oath or Affirmation,” “affidavit,” or simply as an “oath” or “affirmation.”

• The signer must always personally appear before the Notary.

• The Notary must identify a signer in certain states; in others identification of the signer is not required.

• The signer must sign the document in the Notary’s presence.

• The Notary must administer an oath or affirmation.

• Jurats are often performed on affidavits and depositions.