Revised 07/10/2024
At some point, nearly every notary will be presented with a document for notarization that does not have a notarial certificate. The notarial certificate is the portion of the document that you, the notary, must complete. Generally, the certificate states the location of the notarization, also called the venue (the state and county you are physically located in at the time of the notarization), the date of the notarization, who appeared before you, how you identified the signer(s), the notary’s printed name, title, signature, and if required by your state, the notary’s official seal.
Handle this situation by asking the signer, "Would you like to acknowledge signing the document willingly, for its stated purpose… or would you like to swear or affirm that the contents of the document are true?" You may present the document signer with samples of the acknowledgment and the jurat certificates to help the signer decide.
Remember, you cannot choose the notarial act for the signer, which could be considered practicing law without a license. Once the signer chooses the notarial act, you may add the proper notarial wording to the document. This can be done by typing, stamping, handwriting, or attaching a certificate to the document. If you are attaching the certificate to a separate sheet of paper, you should notate on the attachment, “This certificate is attached to a ____ page document entitled ___________.” This will help draw a correlation between the certificate attachment and the document.
If the signer cannot decide which certificate to use, you must decline the notarization. Have the signer consult with the document originator on how to proceed.
Some states have very specific notarial language; be sure to check your state’s notary laws and rules for your state’s required certificate language.
Related Article(s)
Can I Notarize When the Person Has No ID?
Should the Date on the Notarial Certificate Match the Date That the Notarized Document Was Signed?
How to Handle Out-Of-State Documents
What Should I Do When There's No Room for My Notary Stamp?