Quick answer. Each state sets its own certificate wording. We've confirmed 39 of the 51 jurisdictions (the 50 states and DC) so far: 27 print every form we show in their statutes, 12 rely at least partly on the commissioning office's official samples. 32 show a copy-certification form and 13 a remote-act statement. Every form links to its official source and the date we checked it. Sources last checked November 2026.
Which certificate do I use?
| Act | Use it when |
|---|---|
| Acknowledgment (individual) | The signer declares that the signature on the document is theirs and that they signed willingly. No oath is given. Deeds, powers of attorney and many contracts use it. |
| Acknowledgment (representative capacity) | Like an acknowledgment, but the signer signs for someone else: a company, a trust, a partnership, or a principal under a power of attorney. The certificate names the capacity and the party represented. |
| Jurat (verification on oath or affirmation) | The signer swears or affirms that the statements in the document are true, and signs in front of you. Affidavits and other sworn statements use it. |
| Signature witnessing | You watch the signer sign and confirm who they are. There is no oath, and the signer does not need to state that the contents are true. |
| Copy certification | You certify that a copy is a true copy of an original presented to you, only for documents your state lets notaries copy (vital records and recorded documents are usually excluded). |
| Remote or electronic act statement | The signer appears by audio-video communication technology instead of in person, where your state authorizes it and you have any required approval. The certificate must say so. |
States
Each state page shows the official wording word for word, the section or handbook page it comes from, what the certificate must contain in that state, and the mistakes the state's own handbook or statute warns about.
| State | Forms shown | Wording from | Copy certification | Remote statement | Pack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 8 | Statute | No form found | See page | Alaska pack |
| Arkansas | 3 | Official samples | Form shown | See page | Arkansas pack |
| Arizona | 6 | Statute | Form shown | See page | Arizona pack |
| California | 2 | Statute | No form found | See page | California pack |
| Colorado | 5 | Statute | Form shown | See page | Colorado pack |
| Connecticut | 4 | Official samples | No form found | Shown | Connecticut pack |
| District of Columbia | 5 | Statute | Form shown | See page | DC pack |
| Florida | 3 | Statute | No form found | See page | Florida pack |
| Georgia | 5 | Official samples | Form shown | See page | Georgia pack |
| Hawaii | 4 | Official samples | No form found | See page | Hawaii pack |
| Iowa | 6 | Statute | Form shown | Shown | Iowa pack |
| Idaho | 6 | Statute | Form shown | Shown | Idaho pack |
| Kansas | 7 | Official samples | Form shown | Shown | Kansas pack |
| Massachusetts | 5 | Statute | Form shown | See page | Massachusetts pack |
| Maryland | 6 | Statute | Form shown | See page | Maryland pack |
| Maine | 6 | Statute | Form shown | Shown | Maine pack |
| Minnesota | 5 | Statute | Form shown | See page | Minnesota pack |
| Missouri | 5 | Statute | Form shown | See page | Missouri pack |
| Montana | 5 | Statute | Form shown | See page | Montana pack |
| North Carolina | 3 | Statute | No form found | See page | North Carolina pack |
| North Dakota | 6 | Statute | Form shown | Shown | North Dakota pack |
| New Hampshire | 6 | Statute | Form shown | See page | New Hampshire pack |
| New Jersey | 6 | Official samples | Form shown | Shown | New Jersey pack |
| New Mexico | 5 | Official samples | Form shown | See page | New Mexico pack |
| Nevada | 5 | Statute | Form shown | See page | Nevada pack |
| Ohio | 7 | Statute | No form found | See page | Ohio pack |
| Oklahoma | 6 | Statute | Form shown | Shown | Oklahoma pack |
| Oregon | 6 | Statute | Form shown | Shown | Oregon pack |
| Pennsylvania | 7 | Statute | Form shown | Shown | Pennsylvania pack |
| Rhode Island | 4 | Official samples | Form shown | See page | Rhode Island pack |
| South Carolina | 4 | Official samples | Form shown | See page | South Carolina pack |
| Texas | 7 | Official samples | Form shown | See page | Texas pack |
| Utah | 4 | Statute | Form shown | See page | Utah pack |
| Virginia | 4 | Official samples | Form shown | Shown | Virginia pack |
| Vermont | 6 | Statute | Form shown | Shown | Vermont pack |
| Washington | 7 | Statute | Form shown | Shown | Washington pack |
| Wisconsin | 5 | Official samples | Form shown | See page | Wisconsin pack |
| West Virginia | 5 | Statute | Form shown | See page | West Virginia pack |
| Wyoming | 5 | Statute | Form shown | See page | Wyoming pack |
Coming soon
We haven't confirmed acknowledgment and jurat wording on an official source for these yet, so we don't publish them:
- Alabama: The Secretary of State's copy of Act 2023-548 has no short-form certificates, and its text was too garbled to quote; we have not yet confirmed official acknowledgment and jurat wording. Official source: Alabama Secretary of State, notaries public.
- Delaware: The short forms are in 29 Del. C. § 4328, but the official Delaware Code pages for chapter 43 would not open for us, so the wording is not yet confirmed. Official source: Delaware Department of State, notary public.
- Illinois: The Illinois Notary Public Handbook and the statute pages with certificate forms would not open for us, so we have not confirmed official acknowledgment and jurat wording yet. Official source: Illinois Secretary of State, Index Department (notary).
- Indiana: Indiana Code 33-42 prints statutory wording only for remote notarial certificates (IC 33-42-17-7); it has no statutory short forms for acknowledgments or jurats, and the Secretary of State's Notary Public Guide would not open for us, so the in-person wording isn't confirmed yet. Official source: Indiana Secretary of State, notary public office.
- Kentucky: KRS 423.365 has the Secretary of State promulgate the short-form certificates instead of printing them in the statute, and we have not yet opened the official form text. Official source: Kentucky Secretary of State, notary commissions.
- Louisiana: Louisiana's civil-law notarial system works through authentic acts and acknowledged acts, and the official statute pages we opened gave only the form for acknowledgments made outside the United States (La. R.S. 35:552); in-state acknowledgment and jurat wording is not yet confirmed. Official source: Louisiana Secretary of State, notary division.
- Michigan: The Michigan notary act (MCL 55.285(9)) has the Secretary of State prescribe the jurat and acknowledgment forms, and the Office of the Great Seal's acknowledgment-versus-jurat page gives no wording; we have not yet opened the prescribed forms. Official source: Michigan Department of State, Office of the Great Seal.
- Mississippi: The Revised Mississippi Law on Notarial Acts (Miss. Code 25-34-31) makes the drafter of the record responsible for the certificate wording and prints no short forms, and the Secretary of State's notary rules give no jurat form, so we have no official jurat wording to show yet. Official source: Mississippi Secretary of State, notary division.
- Nebraska: Neb. Rev. Stat. 64-206 gives statutory acknowledgment forms, but chapter 64 has no jurat form and we have not yet found official jurat wording from the Secretary of State. Official source: Nebraska Secretary of State, notary division.
- New York: The acknowledgment form is confirmed in Real Property Law § 309-a, but New York has no statutory jurat and the Department of State's Notary Public License Law booklet would not open for us, so official jurat wording is not confirmed yet. Official source: New York Department of State, Division of Licensing Services.
- South Dakota: The South Dakota Notary Public Handbook (July 2026) shows its sample acknowledgment and witnessing certificates only as images, and we have not yet opened statutory acknowledgment and jurat wording from the codified laws. Official source: South Dakota Secretary of State, notary public.
- Tennessee: Tennessee's acknowledgment forms are in Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-22-107, but we could not open the official code text or a Secretary of State notary handbook with the acknowledgment and jurat wording. Official source: Tennessee Secretary of State, notary public.
Certificate wording packs
$15 per state, one time. Each pack has a one-page which-certificate chart, the state's official wording with sources, fill-in Word certificates with PDFs, and a common-mistakes checklist. The wording itself is public law and free on each state page; you pay for the fill-in files and the organizing.
General information, not legal advice; we are not lawyers. Notaries follow their own state's law and the official handbook, and the receiving office decides what it accepts, so nothing here guarantees a document will be accepted.
Questions
What is a notarial certificate?
The statement the notary completes and signs on (or attached to) the document, saying what happened: who appeared, on what date, where, and which notarial act was performed. It carries the venue, the notary's signature, and the seal or stamp and commission details the state requires.
What's the difference between an acknowledgment and a jurat?
An acknowledgment records that the signer declared the signature is theirs and was made willingly; no oath is given and the document may already be signed. A jurat records that the signer swore or affirmed the contents are true and signed in front of the notary.
Can I use one state's certificate wording in another state?
A notary follows the law of the state where the notary is commissioned and acting. Many states also accept a certificate in a form another state's law permits for a document going there, but the notary's own state rules on what the certificate must contain still apply. Check your own state's page and handbook.
Why isn't my state published yet?
We publish a state only after its acknowledgment and jurat wording are confirmed on an official source: the state's statute site or its commissioning office. Still coming: Alabama, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, South Dakota and Tennessee.
Who picks the certificate?
The person asking for the notarization, or the person who drafted the document, decides which notarial act they need. A notary who is not an attorney should not choose it for them; several state handbooks say so directly.
Related: How to become a notary, by state · Notary work by state · Notary guides