Notary Acknowledgment Forms

A notary acknowledgment is a written statement made by a notary public that acknowledges an individual’s signature is valid and was provided without coercion. This form is used to prove the notary positively identified the signer, making their signature on the document legitimate. A notary acknowledgment includes the name of the signatory, the date, the notary’s signature, and their seal.

Is Online Notarization Legal?

Yes, Remote Online Notarization (RON) is recognized in almost every state.

However, the following states do not recognize RON: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, and Massachusetts (in addition to Washington D.C.).

By State

Contents

Purpose of a Notary Public

A notary public is an officer appointed by a government body, typically the secretary of state, to act as an impartial witness to the signing of legal documents. Their purpose (when taking acknowledgments) is to confirm the identities of the signing parties and ensure they all signed of their own free will.

Notaries are tasked with other duties, depending on the state where they are commissioned. They may be called upon to administer oaths and affirmations, authenticate copies of documents, witness the opening of safety deposit boxes, and perform other legal and business assignments that necessitate a ministerial official.

How to Acknowledge a Signature

Step 1 – Appointment

An appointment can be made with a notary public through banks, law firms, post offices and courier services, libraries, government offices, and other locations. Alternatively, a notary can be located by providing a zip code on the American Society of Notaries website.

Step 2 – Identification

Whether the appointment is online or in person, the signatory must present the document to be notarized and valid forms of identification (e.g., driver’s license, passport, etc.) for the notary to review. Unless the notary knows the signatory personally, they will verify the provided pieces of identification.

Step 3 – Signatures

The notary will look over the document briefly to ascertain what type of notarization is required and check for blank spaces (to prevent fraudulent future alterations). Once they are satisfied, they will witness the individual sign the document or simply have them confirm it is in fact their signature.

Step 4 – Acknowledgment

After approving the signature, the notary will complete the acknowledgment form, which will contain the date, their signature, and their official seal. They will record the entry in their journal, as most states either require or recommend maintaining records of all notarizations.

Online Notarization Laws: By State

Sample

NOTARY ACKNOWLEDGMENT

State of [STATE]
County of [COUNTY]

On [MM/DD/YYYY] before me, [NOTARY PUBLIC NAME] , personally appeared [SIGNER NAME] , who proved to me on the basis of satisfactory evidence to be the person(s) whose name(s) is/are subscribed to the within instrument and acknowledged to me that he/she/they executed the same in his/her/their authorized capacity(ies), and that by his/her/their signature(s) on the instrument the person(s), or the entity upon behalf of which the person(s) acted, executed the instrument.

I certify under PENALTY OF PERJURY under the laws of the State of [STATE] that the foregoing paragraph is true and correct.

WITNESS my hand and official seal.