Notary glossary
Notarial Certificate
The notarial certificate is the block of wording the notary completes and signs on your document. It records where and when the notarization happened, which notarial act was performed, who appeared, and the notary's signature and seal. It is the part of the document that makes the notarization provable later.
What a certificate contains
Five elements appear on almost every certificate. The venue — the “State of ___, County of ___” line — records where the notarization took place. The date. A statement of the act performed, which is what distinguishes a jurat from an acknowledgment. The name of the person who appeared. And the notary's signature, printed name, commission number and seal.
For an online notarization the venue records where the notary is located, not where you are. That surprises people, but it follows from the notary acting under the commission of their own state.
The wording determines the act
“Sworn to (or affirmed) and subscribed before me” is a jurat: you signed in the notary's presence and swore the contents were true. “Acknowledged before me” is an acknowledgment: you confirmed the signature was yours and freely made.
A notary cannot choose the act for you, because choosing it would be deciding what your document needs — which edges into legal advice. If the certificate is already printed on the form, that is the act you get.
When a form has no certificate
Plenty of forms arrive with a signature line and nothing else. In that case the notary attaches a separate certificate, usually called a loose certificate, and binds it to the document with enough detail — document title, date, page count — that it cannot be moved to a different document later.
Before the appointment, you will be asked which act the receiving party wants. If you do not know, ask them. It is the one question a notary cannot answer for you.
Why a defective certificate gets documents rejected
Recorders and receiving agencies read the certificate closely, and it is the most common reason a notarized document comes back. A missing venue, an incomplete date, the wrong act, or a seal that obscures the wording are all grounds for rejection.
Requirements for certificate wording are set by state law and differ between them, so a certificate drafted for one state's form is not automatically acceptable in another.
Common questions
- What is the venue on a notarial certificate?
- The “State of ___, County of ___” line at the top. It records where the notarization took place. In a remote online notarization it reflects the notary's location, not the signer's.
- What happens if my form has no notary section?
- The notary attaches a loose certificate — a separate page with the correct wording, identifying the document it belongs to so it cannot be detached and reused. You will need to know which act the receiving party requires.
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.
Acknowledgment
A notarial act where you declare to the notary that you signed a document willingly. You can sign before the meeting; the notary confirms your identity and your acknowledgment, then completes the certificate. Deeds, powers of attorney and most agreements use an acknowledgment.
Venue
The "State of ___, County of ___" line at the top of a notarial certificate. It records where the notarization took place — for an online notarization, where the notary is, not the signer.
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.