Notary Public Underwriters Blog
Common Misconceptions of Notarial Acts
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- Published: December 27, 2019
Notarize a signature: common phrase in the notary business although it often gets misconstrued. Notaries do not witness signatures, but administer an oath, affirmation, or take an acknowledgement.
Notarize a document: another common phrase that is often interpreted wrong. The act of notarizing is actually for the person not the document.
**Although both of these phrases are not technically correct it is okay to use them as long as you and your client know what they mean.
Notarial Certificate: The paragraph following the person’s signature. It includes the notaries name, the venue, and a sworn statement. It is not the act but a record of the act.
Oath: a pledge made by a person signifying he, she, or they are declaring true. An oath must be signed in the presence of a notary.
Affirmation: in place of an oath because of a religious objection or not religious at all. Just like an oath, it has the same legal impact. Affiant: the person making an affidavit.
Acknowledgment: declaration that the person has signed the document voluntarily, for its stated purposes. An acknowledgement can be prior to the notarial act or in the presence of the notary.
Of course, everyone gets confused from time to time, so if you feel you need a refresher or are still confused, contact our Customer Care team.