Notarial Acts

Acknowledgment

In an acknowledgment, the notary validates the signer’s identity and the signer confirms to the notary that the signature is his or her signature. Usually the signer signs the document in front of the notary.  The notary also asks the signer to confirm that he or she understands the document and is signing it freely and without coercion. An acknowledgment is the most common notarial act.

Jurat  

A jurat is used when a document must have the truthfulness of its contents confirmed under oath. To complete a jurat, the notary validates the signer’s identity and then places the signer under oath. The signer swears or affirms that the statements in the document are true of his or her personal knowledge and then signs the document in front of the notary.   

Oath/Affirmation

An oath or affirmation is a spoken promise that you are swearing or affirming to uphold. This might include an oath of office or an oath before testifying in court or at a deposition. Ordinarily, the only oaths or affirmations used by notaries on the Notarize platform are those which involve confirming the truth of a document’s contents (see Jurat, above).  

Copy Certification

In a copy certification, a notary is presented with a copy of a document, compares it to the original, and determines that the copy (or a specified extract) is accurate and complete. On the Notarize platform, notaries also confirm your identity, just as with other forms of notarization, to confirm the integrity of the transaction.

Notaries cannot certify copies of various public records such as court documents and “vital” records, such as birth, death, or marriage certificates. Certified documents of such records must be issued by courts or the public offices that maintain them. Some jurisdictions do not authorize notaries to perform copy certifications at all. Please check with your intended recipient to confirm that they will accept a notarized certified copy.