A notary acknowledgement template is a written document filed by an affiant as evidence in a court case. At some point in one’s life, for some legal purpose, an individual would have to execute a notary acknowledgment. There are mainly two types of judicial notarizations, the first one is a notary statement or acknowledgment and the other is jurat.
Table of Contents
- 1 What is a notary acknowledgment?
- 2 Acquiring a notary acknowledgment:
- 3 Notary acknowledgments and other notarized documents:
- 4 The process of notary acknowledgments and identical documents:
- 5 Where do you get a notary acknowledgment?
- 6 How can you differentiate between a notary acknowledgement and a Jurat?
- 7 Meaning of not having your document notarized:
- 8 Writing a notary acknowledgment form:
- 9 Some additional tips for writing a notary acknowledgment form:
- 10 Conclusion:
- 11 Faqs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What is a notary acknowledgment?
A notary acknowledgment is a kind of official declaration. It comes before a qualified official with an affixed signature. This public official in most cases is a notary public. However, in various states, they could be a mayor, a judge or some other authorized official.
There are two ways for making a notary template for an acknowledgment. The first one is using the acknowledgment language as a part of the original document and the second one is adding the acknowledgment language in a different sheet of paper. After that, attach this to the document.
No matter which you prefer, you just have to ensure that you complete the notary form. It must contain the signature of the notary public. The expiration or commission number must be included in a proper acknowledgment. To prove the verification of the signatures, all forms filed at the Register of Deeds office should get notarized.
The improper notarized documents won’t accept by the Register. Therefore, it is essential for documents filed at the Register to be properly notarized. Otherwise, the filers just waste their time and money.
Acquiring a notary acknowledgment:
A notary acknowledgement is also referred as a notary form or a notary template. This document assists in establishing the identity of the affiant. It is also used to declare to the notary public. The notary acknowledgement is also used to affix his/her signature on the notary signature block template. When making this document, follow the below procedures;
- It is the responsibility of the notary to positively verify the identity the signer on the basis of the rules of the notary’s state.
- Before the signer appears in front of the notary or in the presence of the notary, they can sign the document.
- For its stated purpose, the signer should acknowledge or declare signing the document.
A jurat requires the signer has to be physically present while signing the document in front of the notary, while an acknowledgment does not require his presence. But, in case of acknowledgment, the signer has to affirm or swear that he signed the document without duress. Also, they have to sign the document under their own free will.
Notary acknowledgments and other notarized documents:
These days, most important agreements need notarization. A notarized document has to be verified by a notary public. A notary public has to verify the identity of each person whose signature appears on a document. The notary public witness the signings and mark the document using a seal or a stamp.
When it comes to notary statements, acknowledgments, and other similar documents, you should consider the following important things;
Verification of identity
The notary public will give the signatories to give some identification. For every individual, he keeps the details about these identification documents who signs the document.
Willingness of the signers
Notary public always want to see for any indication that the signers aren’t coerced into affixing their signatures.
Capacity to make sound decisions
Notary public also makes sure that signers understand what they’re signing. The notary can’t proceed with the notarization, in case the signatories are under the influence, medication or aren’t able to fully understand what’s going on.
The process of notary acknowledgments and identical documents:
Keep the following things in mind in case you want the process to go as smoothly as possible;
Give the required official Identification
Some identification will be asked by a notary public as prove that you’re who you claim you are. Such identifications contain a driver’s license, a government-issued ID or a passport.
Sign at the appropriate time
Don’t sign the document without the notary public present if you are having it notarized. Without you signature, bring your document take your document to the notary as he has to see you sign the document most of the time.
Pay the fees
You have to pay a huge amount to the notary public to have your documents notarized. The amount usually depends on where you get them notarized.
Where do you get a notary acknowledgment?
You can get your notary form and any other legal documents notarized in following different places;
Financial institutions
If you are a client then a bank or a credit union is a good place to encounter a notary public. May be they do it for free. If you aren’t a client, the notary public will take minimal fee to have your document notarized.
Other businesses
All large businesses employ a notary public. Before making the trip as the services, you should call first or notarization may vary for different locations. Businesses that offer this service may include the following;
- Shipping notes
- Office supply retailers
- Money Transfer
- Check cashing stores
- Law offices
- Tax preparers
- Some convenience stores
- Car dealers
Search on the internet
You can always go online if you can’t locate a notary public. You just have to type “notary public” and your city. Then, you can see a couple of names that would pop up on your monitor.
Online
You can also get your document notarized online. However, you should ensure that they will accept this method before proceeding. The real estate transactions require a physical signature. When using an online notarization, some instances can make sense is for quickie transactions. Identity verification and a video recording of you signing the document is required by notary for online work.
How can you differentiate between a notary acknowledgement and a Jurat?
Notary acknowledgments and jurats are considered as the notary acts. Let is discuss below the difference between them;
A Jurat
In case, the signer swears to the contents of a document then you use a jurat. The notary public have to administer an affirmation or oath to the signer in order to complete a jurat. The signer has to sign it with the notary as a witness.
A notary acknowledgement
While, a notary acknowledgment or a notary statement is used to confirm the identity of the signer. It’s simply an acknowledgment that acts as a confirmation that they signed the document. Some States don’t require a signer to affix his signature with a notary public as a witness. However, their physical appearance is required to in front of the notary to verify their signature.
Meaning of not having your document notarized:
Having a document notarized means that the signature appears on it gets authenticated by a notary public. The notary public in most cases doesn’t read the document they just verify that you signed the document in front of them.
The documents that contain some kind of illegal activity, people also get such types of document notarized. Sometimes the documents that include information which isn’t enforceable under the laws of the state are also get notarized. The document become useless in such a case. Additionally, the notary public won’t have to give legal advice. That’s why, before signing the document, you must know what the document contains.
Writing a notary acknowledgment form:
There are two ways to write a notary acknowledgment form.
First one is to write the notary acknowledgment form on a separate page. After that, you can attach it to the document that you have to notarize. The second one is making the wording of jurat acknowledgment form as part of the original document.
Every form must contain notarial wording no matter whether you are writing your own notarized statement or make it by using a notary form template. This is important to do so for identifying and verifying the involved parties as well as to make sure that the notary public obtained proper signatures. You should include the following details in your form while notarizing the document;
- State and county location
- Notarial wording that state the document as an acknowledgment or jurat
- Acknowledgment
- Jurat
- Date that indicates when the document was notarized
- Space for the name and signature of the signer
- Space for the signature of notary
- Room for notary stamp or steal
Some additional tips for writing a notary acknowledgment form:
Select the proper certificate
You must know which certificate form to use while writing your notary acknowledgment form. At first, it modifies the notification’s type and secondly, the notary public have no right to advise you whether you have selected the accurate notarial wording. You can consider the following two choices;
- Notary acknowledgment
- Jurat
Loose notary certificate
You should include the necessary notarial wording on the signature page in order to make the notarized documents as official as possible. Sometimes for the notary stamp and the notarial wording, there may not be enough space on the signature page. In such type of cases, you can use a loose or separate notary certificate form. You can attach it to the back of the original document.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, a notary acknowledgment template is a document that confirms the signer’s identity. This document acts as a confirmation that they signed the document. Notary acknowledgments and jurats are the two most common notary acts.
Faqs (Frequently Asked Questions)
No, you can’t notarize a document without an acknowledgment.
Any current government-issued ID that has a photo and signature can be accepted by a notary. They include a driver’s license, a US passport, or a state-issued ID.
Grace Harry is an experienced freelance writer with an experience for 12+ years. She got her Master’s in Financial Management degree from the University of Dennison in 2007. She worked at California State Bank to help clients with their credit, investments, and bank accounts. She likes to assist people in reaching their financial goals when it comes to financial planning.