Quick answer. Below is Colorado's statutory certificate wording, act by act. We show five forms: acknowledgment (individual), acknowledgment (representative capacity), jurat (verification on oath or affirmation), signature witnessing and copy certification. There is no fixed remote sentence in the sources we read.
Which Colorado certificate do I use?
| Act | Use it when | Colorado source |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | C.R.S. 24-21-516(1)(a) |
| 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. | C.R.S. 24-21-516(1)(b) |
| 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. | C.R.S. 24-21-516(1)(c) |
| 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. | C.R.S. 24-21-516(1)(d) |
| 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). | C.R.S. 24-21-516(1)(e) |
Colorado certificate wording
Acknowledgment (individual) Statutory wording
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.
State of ______________________
County of ______________________
This record was acknowledged before me on ______________________ (date) by ______________________ (name(s) of individual(s))
______________________ Signature of notarial officer
Stamp
______________________ (Title of office)
My commission expires: ______________________
Acknowledgment (representative capacity) Statutory wording
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.
State of ______________________
County of ______________________
This record was acknowledged before me on ______________________ (date) by ______________________ (name(s) of individual(s)) as (type of authority, such as officer or trustee) of (name of party on behalf of whom record was executed).
______________________ Signature of notarial officer
Stamp
______________________ (Title of office)
My commission expires: ______________________
Jurat (verification on oath or affirmation) Statutory wording
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.
State of ______________________
County of ______________________
Signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on ______________________ (date) by ______________________ (name(s) of individual(s) making statement)
______________________ Signature of notarial officer
Stamp
______________________ (Title of office)
My commission expires: ______________________
Signature witnessing Statutory wording
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.
State of ______________________
County of ______________________
Signed before me on ______________________ (date) by ______________________ (name(s) of individual(s))
______________________ Signature of notarial officer
Stamp
______________________ (Title of office)
My commission expires: ______________________
Copy certification Statutory wording
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).
State of ______________________
County of ______________________
I certify that this is a true and correct copy of a record in the possession of ______________________
______________________ Signature of notarial officer
Stamp
______________________ (Title of office)
My commission expires: ______________________
Remote and electronic acts in Colorado
Colorado sets no separate short-form sentence for a remote act in the statute text we read. The certificate must meet the usual requirements and indicate that the notarial act was performed using audio-video communication technology; if an interpreter was used, it must say so and give the interpreter's name and any credential or certification number. (Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts, C.R.S. 24-21-501 et seq. (Colorado Secretary of State's copy of the statute), checked November 7, 2026)
What a Colorado certificate must contain
- The certificate is executed at the time of the act, signed and dated by you with the signature on file with the Secretary of State, identifies the county and state, and contains your title of office. Don't sign it until the act is performed. (C.R.S. 24-21-515; Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts, C.R.S. 24-21-501 et seq. (Colorado Secretary of State's copy of the statute))
- On a paper record your official stamp is affixed to the certificate, and the certificate must be part of or securely attached to the record. (C.R.S. 24-21-515; Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts, C.R.S. 24-21-501 et seq. (Colorado Secretary of State's copy of the statute))
- The stamp is a rectangular ink stamp with a border showing your legal name, NOTARY PUBLIC, STATE OF COLORADO, your notary ID number and your commission expiration date. Embossers are not allowed. (Notary Public FAQs: common mistakes, Colorado Secretary of State)
- Copy certification: only when you determine the copy is a full, true and accurate reproduction, and never for a record available from a clerk and recorder, the Secretary of State, the state archives or a Colorado vital records office, or a record that says on its face that copying it is illegal. (C.R.S. 24-21-505(4); Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts, C.R.S. 24-21-501 et seq. (Colorado Secretary of State's copy of the statute))
Common Colorado certificate mistakes
Our plain-English summary of what the official sources warn about; the source follows each one.
- Notarizing with no certificate at all. The Secretary of State says a complete certificate is required every time: venue, date, type of act, your signature and stamp and the title Notary Public. (Notary Public FAQs: common mistakes, Colorado Secretary of State)
- Writing your own name in the blank meant for the signer's name. (Notary Public FAQs: common mistakes, Colorado Secretary of State)
- Certifying that a document was signed in your presence when the signer only signed your journal. (Notary Public FAQs: common mistakes, Colorado Secretary of State)
- Signing a certificate written in another language; the Secretary of State says it must be in English. (Notary Public FAQs: common mistakes, Colorado Secretary of State)
- Not using your exact commissioned name, including any middle initial. (Notary Public FAQs: common mistakes, Colorado Secretary of State)
- A stamp with a wrong name, ID number or expiration date; proofread it when it arrives. (Notary Public FAQs: common mistakes, Colorado Secretary of State)
- Certifying a copy of a vital record or recorded document that must come from the issuing office. (Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts, C.R.S. 24-21-501 et seq. (Colorado Secretary of State's copy of the statute))
The Colorado certificate wording pack
$15 one time. The wording on this page is public law and stays free here; the pack is the fill-in files and the organizing.
- A one-page "which certificate do I use?" chart for Colorado: each act, when it's used and the section it comes from.
- The Colorado wording reference: every form on this page with its source, plus what a Colorado certificate must contain (venue, seal, commission details).
- Fill-in certificates in Word, one per page, with matching PDFs, so you can attach a loose certificate when a document needs one.
- A common-mistakes checklist from the official sources: seven items for Colorado, each with its source.
See the Colorado certificate wording pack
Sources
- Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts, C.R.S. 24-21-501 et seq. (Colorado Secretary of State's copy of the statute) (checked November 7, 2026)
- Notary Public FAQs: common mistakes, Colorado Secretary of State (checked November 7, 2026)
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. If anything here differs from what the Colorado Secretary of State, notary program tells you, follow the office.
Colorado certificate questions
What is the Colorado acknowledgment certificate wording?
C.R.S. 24-21-516(1)(a) gives: "State of ______________________ County of ______________________ This record was acknowledged before me on ______________________ (date) by ______________________ (name(s) of individual(s))" It closes with Signature of notarial officer, Stamp and (Title of office).
What is the Colorado jurat wording?
C.R.S. 24-21-516(1)(c) gives: "State of ______________________ County of ______________________ Signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on ______________________ (date) by ______________________ (name(s) of individual(s) making statement)" Use it only when you give the signer an oath or affirmation and they sign in front of you.
Can a Colorado notary certify a copy?
Yes, within limits. C.R.S. 24-21-516(1)(e) gives: "State of ______________________ County of ______________________ I certify that this is a true and correct copy of a record in the possession of ______________________"
What else must a Colorado notarial certificate show?
The certificate is executed at the time of the act, signed and dated by you with the signature on file with the Secretary of State, identifies the county and state, and contains your title of office. Don't sign it until the act is performed. On a paper record your official stamp is affixed to the certificate, and the certificate must be part of or securely attached to the record.
Is there a Colorado remote notarization statement?
Colorado sets no separate short-form sentence for a remote act in the statute text we read. The certificate must meet the usual requirements and indicate that the notarial act was performed using audio-video communication technology; if an interpreter was used, it must say so and give the interpreter's name and any credential or certification number.
Who decides which Colorado certificate to use?
The person asking for the notarization, or whoever drafted the document, tells you which notarial act they need; a notary who isn't an attorney shouldn't choose it for them. If a document has no certificate, follow the Colorado Secretary of State, notary program's guidance. We are not lawyers, and nothing here promises that a receiving office will accept a document.
Related: All states · Becoming a notary in Colorado · Notary work in Colorado · California certificate wording · Connecticut certificate wording