Quick answer. Hawaii's commissioning office publishes the wording below. We show four forms: acknowledgment (individual), acknowledgment for a corporation, jurat (verification on oath or affirmation) and hawaii notary certification block. We found no official form for signature witnessing and copy certification. There is no fixed remote sentence in the sources we read.
The Attorney General's Notary Public Manual prints sample certificates; it does not cite a statutory short form for them. The wording below is reproduced from the manual as printed, with its sample names replaced by blanks. Hawaii also requires a separate notary certification block (document date, number of pages, document description, notary name, circuit), shown below the forms.
Which Hawaii certificate do I use?
| Act | Use it when | Hawaii 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. | Notary Public Manual, p. 12 (sample) |
| Acknowledgment for a corporation | 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. | Notary Public Manual, p. 12 (sample) |
| 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. | Notary Public Manual, pp. 9-10 (sample) |
| Hawaii notary certification block | The state's separate certification block that goes with an acknowledgment or jurat. | HAR 5-11-8, Notary Public Manual p. 13 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
Hawaii certificate wording
Acknowledgment (individual) Official sample
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 HAWAII )
) SS.
COUNTY OF ______ )
On this ____ day of ________, 20__, before me personally appeared ____________, to me known to be the person described in and who executed the foregoing instrument and acknowledged that he executed the same as his free act and deed.
Witness my hand and seal.
(SEAL) ____________________ (Signature of Notary Public)
____________________ (Print name of Notary Public)
My commission expires: ____________ (exp. date)
Acknowledgment for a corporation Official sample
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 HAWAII )
) SS.
COUNTY OF ______ )
On this ____ day of ________, 20__, before me personally appeared ____________ and ____________, to me personally known, who being by me duly sworn, did say that they are the President and Secretary, respectively, of ____________, and that the seal affixed to the instrument is the corporate seal of the corporation, and that the instrument was signed and sealed on behalf of the corporation by authority of its board of directors, and ____________ and ____________ acknowledged the instrument to be the free act and deed of the corporation.
(SEAL) ____________________ (Signature of Notary Public)
____________________ (Print name of Notary Public)
My commission expires: ____________ (exp. date)
The manual says that if the corporation has no seal, line out and initial the seal language and add that the corporation has no corporate seal. It also prints a separate acknowledgment for a signer acting under a power of attorney (p. 13).
Jurat (verification on oath or affirmation) Official sample
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 HAWAII )
) SS.
COUNTY OF ______ )
Subscribed and sworn to before me this ____ day of ________, 20__.
(SEAL) ____________________ (Signature of Notary Public)
____________________ (Print name of Notary Public)
My commission expires: ____________ (exp. date)
Other Hawaii forms
Hawaii notary certification block Official sample
The state's separate certification block that goes with an acknowledgment or jurat.
N O T A R Y C E R T I F I C A T I O N
Doc. Date: ____________ # Pages: ______
Notary Name: ____________________ ______ Circuit
Doc. Description: ______________________________
(Stamp or Seal)
____________________ Notary Signature ____________ Date
(SEAL) ____________________ (Signature of Notary Public)
____________________ (Print name of Notary Public)
My commission expires: ____________ (exp. date)
Field labels from the manual's sample; it says certificate information may instead be placed within the jurat or acknowledgment itself.
No official Hawaii form found
- Signature witnessing. The manual prints no signature-witnessing certificate. No official form found; check with the Department of the Attorney General.
- Copy certification. The manual says copies or certificates granted by a notary are under the notary's hand and seal and lists a $5 fee for an official certificate or copy (HRS 456-17), but it prints no copy-certification wording. No official form found; check with the Department of the Attorney General.
Remote and electronic acts in Hawaii
For a remote online notarization, the electronic certificate must indicate that the notarial act was performed using communication technology (HAR 5-11-72(d), as quoted in the manual). Only a commissioned remote online notary public may do this; telephone notarization is forbidden. (Notary Public Manual, State of Hawai'i (Department of the Attorney General, updated 2023-04-14), checked November 7, 2026)
What a Hawaii certificate must contain
- Every acknowledgment or jurat is evidenced by a certificate signed and dated by the notary, with your printed name, official stamp or seal, signature, the jurisdiction and the date of notarization (HAR 5-11-8). (Notary Public Manual, State of Hawai'i (Department of the Attorney General, updated 2023-04-14))
- The venue is a judicial circuit (Honolulu, Maui, Hawaii or Kauai, under HRS 603-1); the date is the date you sign. (Notary Public Manual, State of Hawai'i (Department of the Attorney General, updated 2023-04-14))
- The seal is a circular rubber stamp, no more than 2 inches across with a serrated or milled edge, showing your name, commission number, notary public and State of Hawaii. Your signature matches the name on the seal, with your printed name and commission expiration date. (Notary Public Manual, State of Hawai'i (Department of the Attorney General, updated 2023-04-14))
Common Hawaii certificate mistakes
Summarized in our own words from the official sources named after each item.
- Leaving out the date, signature, printed name, seal or jurisdiction; the manual says an incomplete certification is an offense. (Notary Public Manual, State of Hawai'i (Department of the Attorney General, updated 2023-04-14))
- Certifying a signature when the signer wasn't present. (Notary Public Manual, State of Hawai'i (Department of the Attorney General, updated 2023-04-14))
- Notarizing changes in a document that weren't initialed. (Notary Public Manual, State of Hawai'i (Department of the Attorney General, updated 2023-04-14))
- Notarizing a document in a language you can't read, or for signers who don't understand the document's language. (Notary Public Manual, State of Hawai'i (Department of the Attorney General, updated 2023-04-14))
- Notarizing for an attorney-in-fact without being satisfied of their authority. (Notary Public Manual, State of Hawai'i (Department of the Attorney General, updated 2023-04-14))
- Delegating any notarial act to a clerk or deputy. (Notary Public Manual, State of Hawai'i (Department of the Attorney General, updated 2023-04-14))
The Hawaii 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 Hawaii: each act, when it's used and the official sample it comes from.
- The Hawaii wording reference: every form on this page with its source, plus what a Hawaii 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: six items for Hawaii, each with its source.
See the Hawaii certificate wording pack
Sources
- Notary Public Manual, State of Hawai'i (Department of the Attorney General, updated 2023-04-14) (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. Questions about a particular document go to the Hawaii Department of the Attorney General, notary public office or an attorney.
Hawaii certificate questions
What is the Hawaii acknowledgment certificate wording?
The official sample (Notary Public Manual, p. 12 (sample)) reads: "STATE OF HAWAII ) ) SS. COUNTY OF ______ ) On this ____ day of ________, 20__, before me personally appeared ____________, to me known to be the person described in and who executed the foregoing instrument and acknowledged that he executed the same as his free act and deed. Witness my hand and seal." It closes with (SEAL) (Signature of Notary Public), (Print name of Notary Public) and My commission expires: (exp. date).
What is the Hawaii jurat wording?
The official sample (Notary Public Manual, pp. 9-10 (sample)) reads: "STATE OF HAWAII ) ) SS. COUNTY OF ______ ) Subscribed and sworn to before me this ____ day of ________, 20__." Use it only when you give the signer an oath or affirmation and they sign in front of you.
Can a Hawaii notary certify a copy?
The manual says copies or certificates granted by a notary are under the notary's hand and seal and lists a $5 fee for an official certificate or copy (HRS 456-17), but it prints no copy-certification wording. No official form found; check with the Department of the Attorney General.
What else must a Hawaii notarial certificate show?
Every acknowledgment or jurat is evidenced by a certificate signed and dated by the notary, with your printed name, official stamp or seal, signature, the jurisdiction and the date of notarization (HAR 5-11-8). The venue is a judicial circuit (Honolulu, Maui, Hawaii or Kauai, under HRS 603-1); the date is the date you sign.
Is there a Hawaii remote notarization statement?
For a remote online notarization, the electronic certificate must indicate that the notarial act was performed using communication technology (HAR 5-11-72(d), as quoted in the manual). Only a commissioned remote online notary public may do this; telephone notarization is forbidden.
Who decides which Hawaii 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 Hawaii Department of the Attorney General, notary public office's guidance. We are not lawyers, and nothing here promises that a receiving office will accept a document.
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