Quick answer. Below is the area'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 DC certificate do I use?
| Act | Use it when | DC 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. | D.C. Code § 1-1231.15(1) |
| 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. | D.C. Code § 1-1231.15(2) |
| 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. | D.C. Code § 1-1231.15(3) |
| 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. | D.C. Code § 1-1231.15(4) |
| 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). | D.C. Code § 1-1231.15(5) |
District of Columbia 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.
District of Columbia
This record was acknowledged before me on ________ (Date) by ____________________ (Name(s) of individual(s))
____________________ Signature of notarial officer
[Seal]
[__________________________________] 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.
District of Columbia
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
[Seal]
[__________________________________] 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.
District of Columbia
Signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on ________ (Date) by ______________________ (Name(s) of individual(s) making statement)
____________________ Signature of notarial officer
[Seal]
[__________________________________] 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.
District of Columbia
Signed [or attested] before me on ________ (Date) by _______________________ (Name(s) of individual(s))
____________________ Signature of notarial officer
[Seal]
[__________________________________] 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).
District of Columbia
I certify that this is a true and correct copy of a record in the possession of ________________________________________.
Dated ___________________________
____________________ Signature of notarial officer
[Seal]
[__________________________________] Title of office
[My commission expires: _________]
Remote and electronic acts in District of Columbia
Section 1-1231.15 has no remote sentence. No official remote form found in the sources we read; check with the Office of the Secretary's notary commissions section before a remote act. (D.C. Code § 1-1231.15, Short forms (Council of the District of Columbia), checked November 7, 2026)
What a District of Columbia certificate must contain
- The venue is simply the area; there is no county line. (D.C. Code § 1-1231.15; D.C. Code § 1-1231.15, Short forms (Council of the District of Columbia))
- The short forms are sufficient only when completed with the information § 1-1231.14(a) and (b) requires (the certificate of notarial act and, where required, the official seal). (D.C. Code § 1-1231.15; D.C. Code § 1-1231.15, Short forms (Council of the District of Columbia))
- Each short form carries your signature, your seal, your title of office and your commission expiration date. (D.C. Code § 1-1231.15; D.C. Code § 1-1231.15, Short forms (Council of the District of Columbia))
Common DC certificate mistakes
Summarized in our own words from the official sources named after each item.
- Adding a state and county venue copied from another state's form; DC's venue is the area. (D.C. Code § 1-1231.15, Short forms (Council of the District of Columbia))
- Leaving the commission expiration date blank. (D.C. Code § 1-1231.15, Short forms (Council of the District of Columbia))
- On a representative acknowledgment, leaving out the type of authority or the party represented. (D.C. Code § 1-1231.15, Short forms (Council of the District of Columbia))
- Using the acknowledgment for a sworn statement (use the verification on oath or affirmation). (D.C. Code § 1-1231.15, Short forms (Council of the District of Columbia))
The District of Columbia 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 the area: each act, when it's used and the section it comes from.
- The District of Columbia wording reference: every form on this page with its source, plus what a area 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: four items for the area, each with its source.
See the DC certificate wording pack
Sources
- D.C. Code § 1-1231.15, Short forms (Council of the District of Columbia) (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 Office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia, Notary Commissions and Authentications tells you, follow the office.
District of Columbia certificate questions
What is the District of Columbia acknowledgment certificate wording?
D.C. Code § 1-1231.15(1) gives: "District of Columbia This record was acknowledged before me on ________ (Date) by ____________________ (Name(s) of individual(s))" It closes with Signature of notarial officer, [Seal] and [] Title of office.
What is the District of Columbia jurat wording?
D.C. Code § 1-1231.15(3) gives: "District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia notary certify a copy?
Yes, within limits. D.C. Code § 1-1231.15(5) gives: "the area I certify that this is a true and correct copy of a record in the possession of ________________________________________. Dated ___________________________"
What else must a District of Columbia notarial certificate show?
The venue is simply the area; there is no county line. The short forms are sufficient only when completed with the information § 1-1231.14(a) and (b) requires (the certificate of notarial act and, where required, the official seal).
Is there a District of Columbia remote notarization statement?
Section 1-1231.15 has no remote sentence. No official remote form found in the sources we read; check with the Office of the Secretary's notary commissions section before a remote act.
Who decides which District of Columbia 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 Office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia, Notary Commissions and Authentications's guidance. We are not lawyers, and nothing here promises that a receiving office will accept a document.
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