Notary glossary
Notary Acknowledgment
An acknowledgment is a notarial act in which you tell the notary that the signature on a document is yours and that you made it willingly. The notary confirms your identity, records the acknowledgment, and completes a certificate saying so. It is the most common notarial act in the United States.
What the notary is actually certifying
In an acknowledgment the notary certifies three things: that you appeared before them, that they identified you to the standard their state requires, and that you acknowledged the signature as your own free act. That is the whole of it.
The notary is not certifying that the document is true, that it is legally effective, or that you understood it. Those are questions for the parties and their lawyers. An acknowledgment is about identity and willingness — nothing more.
You can sign before the appointment
This is the practical difference people miss. With an acknowledgment you do not have to sign in front of the notary — you can sign in advance and then acknowledge the signature when you appear. What matters is that you personally appear and confirm the signature is yours.
A jurat works the other way round: there you sign in the notary's presence and swear the contents are true. Sending a pre-signed document to a jurat appointment means signing it again.
Which documents use an acknowledgment
Deeds, mortgages, powers of attorney, leases and most agreements use an acknowledgment. As a rule of thumb, documents that get recorded in county land records are acknowledged, because the receiving office needs proof that the person named actually signed.
Sworn documents go the other way: affidavits, sworn statements and most city permit affidavits need a jurat. The certificate wording on your form tells you which act it wants — read it before you book.
Spelling: acknowledgment or acknowledgement?
Both are correct. American legal usage and most U.S. notary statutes prefer “acknowledgment” without the middle e; “acknowledgement” is the common British spelling and shows up on plenty of American forms anyway. They mean the same notarial act.
Common questions
- What is the difference between a jurat and an acknowledgment?
- In an acknowledgment you confirm that you signed the document willingly, and you may have signed it before the appointment. In a jurat you sign in front of the notary and swear or affirm that the contents are true. Acknowledgments suit deeds and agreements; jurats suit affidavits and sworn statements.
- Do I have to sign in front of the notary for an acknowledgment?
- No. You can sign in advance and acknowledge the signature when you appear. You do still have to appear personally — in a remote online notarization that means joining the video session and passing identity verification.
- Can an acknowledgment be done online?
- Yes. Remote online notarization supports acknowledgments: you appear by live video, the notary verifies your identity with credential analysis and knowledge-based authentication, and the certificate is completed with an electronic seal.
Related terms
Jurat
A notarial act where you sign the document in the notary's presence and swear or affirm that its contents are true. The certificate reads "sworn to (or affirmed) and subscribed before me". Affidavits and sworn applications use a jurat.
Notarial certificate
The wording the notary completes and signs on the document: the venue (state and county), the date, the type of act (jurat or acknowledgment), the signer's name, and the notary's signature and seal. If a form has no certificate, the notary attaches a loose one.
General notary practice, not legal advice — rules on identification, witnesses and which documents may be notarized online are set by each state. See the requirements page for your state, browse the full notary glossary, or ask us.