How to Write a Notarized Letter

What the notary is actually certifying

This is the misunderstanding worth clearing up first, because it changes what you write. The notary is not vouching for anything in your letter. They are not confirming the facts are true, that your account is fair, or that the letter will be accepted by whoever asked for it.

What the notary certifies is that you appeared before them, that they identified you to their state's standard, and either that you acknowledged the signature as yours or that you swore the contents were true. Identity and the act — nothing more. A notarized letter full of false statements is a notarized letter full of false statements.

What to put in it

Keep it factual and specific. The value of these letters comes from being clear enough that the reader can act on them, and short enough that there is nothing to argue with.

• • The date, and your full legal name as it appears on your ID
• • Who the letter is addressed to, if you know
• • The facts you are stating, in plain sentences — names, dates, addresses, amounts
• • Why you are in a position to know them
• • A signature line, left unsigned until you are with the notary
• • Space at the end for the notarial certificate

The certificate is what makes it notarized

A letter with a notary's stamp but no certificate wording is not properly notarized, and a stamp alone is one of the more common reasons a document comes back. The certificate is the block of text stating where the act took place, on what date, who appeared, how they were identified, and what act was performed.

Which certificate you need depends on what the recipient wants. An acknowledgment confirms the signature is yours and freely given. A jurat means you swore the contents were true, and requires you to sign in front of the notary rather than beforehand. If the person who asked for the letter did not specify, ask them — a notary cannot choose for you, because selecting the act is considered legal advice in most states.

Do not sign it in advance

For a jurat you must sign in the notary's presence, so a pre-signed letter means signing it again. For an acknowledgment you may sign beforehand, but you still have to appear and acknowledge it.

Since you usually will not know which certificate the recipient wants until you ask, the safe default is to bring it unsigned. It costs nothing and removes the one mistake that reliably wastes an appointment.

Common uses, and what each reader actually wants

Most requests for a notarized letter come from an institution that wants a sworn version of something you have already told them. Proof of residence for a school district, confirmation that you support someone financially, permission for a child to travel, authorisation for someone to act on your behalf, or a statement about an employment or income history.

Before writing, ask the recipient whether they have their own form. Many do, and will reject a free-written letter in favour of it — which makes the question worth one phone call before you draft anything.

Getting it notarized

Bring a current government-issued photo ID whose name matches the letter, the unsigned letter, and the certificate wording if the recipient specified one. If other people are named as signers, they have to appear too.

An online session handles this as well as a counter does, and sometimes better: the certificate can be added during the session, and signers in different places can join the same call. Whether the recipient accepts an electronically notarized letter is their decision, so confirm that with them first.

Terms worth knowing

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.

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. Contrast a jurat, where you sign in front of the notary and swear the contents are true.