Quick answer. Below is Florida's statutory certificate wording, act by act. We show three forms: acknowledgment (individual), acknowledgment (representative capacity) and oath or affirmation (jurat). We found no official form for copy certification and signature witnessing. There is no fixed remote sentence in the sources we read.
Which Florida certificate do I use?
| Act | Use it when | Florida 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. | s. 117.05(13)(b), F.S. |
| 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. | s. 117.05(13)(c), F.S. |
| Oath or affirmation (jurat) | 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. | s. 117.05(13)(a), F.S. |
| 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). | No official form found |
| 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. | No official form found |
Florida 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 FLORIDA
COUNTY OF __________
The foregoing instrument was acknowledged before me by means of ☐ physical presence or ☐ online notarization, this ____ day of ________, ____ (year), by ____________ (name of person acknowledging).
____________________ (Signature of Notary Public - State of Florida)
____________________ (Print, Type, or Stamp Commissioned Name of Notary Public)
Personally Known ____ OR Produced Identification ____
Type of Identification Produced ____________
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 FLORIDA
COUNTY OF __________
The foregoing instrument was acknowledged before me by means of ☐ physical presence or ☐ online notarization, this ____ day of ________, ____ (year), by ____________ (name of person) as ____________ (type of authority, . . . e.g. officer, trustee, attorney in fact) for ____________ (name of party on behalf of whom instrument was executed).
____________________ (Signature of Notary Public - State of Florida)
____________________ (Print, Type, or Stamp Commissioned Name of Notary Public)
Personally Known ____ OR Produced Identification ____
Type of Identification Produced ____________
Oath or affirmation (jurat) 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 FLORIDA
COUNTY OF __________
Sworn to (or affirmed) and subscribed before me by means of ☐ physical presence or ☐ online notarization, this ____ day of ________, ____ (year), by ____________ (name of person making statement).
____________________ (Signature of Notary Public - State of Florida)
____________________ (Print, Type, or Stamp Commissioned Name of Notary Public)
Personally Known ____ OR Produced Identification ____
Type of Identification Produced ____________
No official Florida form found
- Copy certification. Florida notaries may supervise the copying of a record and attest that the copy is accurate, but not for a vital record from any state or country, or a public record the custodian can copy. The statute sets its own attested-copy certificate in s. 117.05(12)(b); the official page would not let us transcribe it, so the pack points to the statute rather than retyping it.
- Signature witnessing. Chapter 117's certificate forms in s. 117.05(13) cover oaths and acknowledgments; we found no signature-witnessing form. Check with the Florida Department of State.
Remote and electronic acts in Florida
Florida builds the remote choice into every form: tick ☐ physical presence or ☐ online notarization. The certificate must show whether the signer appeared in person or by audio-video communication technology. (2026 Florida Statutes s. 117.05 (Florida Legislature), checked November 7, 2026)
What a Florida certificate must contain
- The certificate states the venue, whether it was an oath or an acknowledgment, whether the signer appeared in person or by audio-video technology, the exact date, the signer's name, the identification relied on (personally known or the type of ID produced), your signature and typed name, and your seal. (s. 117.05(4), F.S.; 2026 Florida Statutes s. 117.05 (Florida Legislature))
- The seal is a rubber stamp in photographically reproducible black ink with your name, commission expiration date and commission number. Print or stamp your commissioned name below your signature. An embosser may be added but can't replace the rubber stamp on paper. (s. 117.05(3), F.S.; 2026 Florida Statutes s. 117.05 (Florida Legislature))
- The (13) forms are sufficient when completed with the information chapter 117 requires; other forms are also permitted. (s. 117.05(13), F.S.; 2026 Florida Statutes s. 117.05 (Florida Legislature))
Common Florida certificate mistakes
Summarized in our own words from the official sources named after each item.
- Leaving both boxes (physical presence, online notarization) unchecked. (2026 Florida Statutes s. 117.05 (Florida Legislature))
- Not stating how you identified the signer: personally known, or the type of identification produced. (2026 Florida Statutes s. 117.05 (Florida Legislature))
- Stamping in a color other than black, or using an embosser alone. (2026 Florida Statutes s. 117.05 (Florida Legislature))
- Attesting a copy of a birth, death or marriage record, or a public record the custodian can copy. (2026 Florida Statutes s. 117.05 (Florida Legislature))
- Leaving your commissioned name off below your signature. (2026 Florida Statutes s. 117.05 (Florida Legislature))
The Florida 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 Florida: each act, when it's used and the section it comes from.
- The Florida wording reference: every form on this page with its source, plus what a Florida 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: five items for Florida, each with its source.
See the Florida certificate wording pack
Sources
- 2026 Florida Statutes s. 117.05 (Florida Legislature) (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. The Florida Department of State, notary section has the final word on Florida practice.
Florida certificate questions
What is the Florida acknowledgment certificate wording?
s. 117.05(13)(b), F.S. gives: "STATE OF FLORIDA COUNTY OF __________ The foregoing instrument was acknowledged before me by means of ☐ physical presence or ☐ online notarization, this ____ day of ________, ____ (year), by ____________ (name of person acknowledging)." It closes with (Signature of Notary Public - State of Florida), (Print, Type, or Stamp Commissioned Name of Notary Public) and Personally Known OR Produced Identification.
What is the Florida jurat wording?
s. 117.05(13)(a), F.S. gives: "STATE OF FLORIDA COUNTY OF __________ Sworn to (or affirmed) and subscribed before me by means of ☐ physical presence or ☐ online notarization, this ____ day of ________, ____ (year), by ____________ (name of person making statement)." Use it only when you give the signer an oath or affirmation and they sign in front of you.
Can a Florida notary certify a copy?
Florida notaries may supervise the copying of a record and attest that the copy is accurate, but not for a vital record from any state or country, or a public record the custodian can copy. The statute sets its own attested-copy certificate in s. 117.05(12)(b); the official page would not let us transcribe it, so the pack points to the statute rather than retyping it.
What else must a Florida notarial certificate show?
The certificate states the venue, whether it was an oath or an acknowledgment, whether the signer appeared in person or by audio-video technology, the exact date, the signer's name, the identification relied on (personally known or the type of ID produced), your signature and typed name, and your seal. The seal is a rubber stamp in photographically reproducible black ink with your name, commission expiration date and commission number. Print or stamp your commissioned name below your signature. An embosser may be added but can't replace the rubber stamp on paper.
Is there a Florida remote notarization statement?
Florida builds the remote choice into every form: tick ☐ physical presence or ☐ online notarization. The certificate must show whether the signer appeared in person or by audio-video communication technology.
Who decides which Florida 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 Florida Department of State, notary section'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 Florida · Notary work in Florida · DC certificate wording · Georgia certificate wording