Quick answer. These are the Idaho certificates as the statute prints them. We show six forms: acknowledgment (individual), acknowledgment (representative capacity), jurat (verification on oath or affirmation), signature witnessing, copy certification and remote or electronic act statement. The remote-act statement is in Idaho Code 51-116(6).
Which Idaho certificate do I use?
| Act | Use it when | Idaho 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. | Idaho Code 51-116(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. | Idaho Code 51-116(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. | Idaho Code 51-116(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. | Idaho Code 51-116(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). | Idaho Code 51-116(5) |
| 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. | Idaho Code 51-116(6) |
Idaho 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 notary public
(Stamp)
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 notary public
(Stamp)
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 notary public
(Stamp)
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 (or attested) before me on ________ (Date) by ____________________ (Name(s) of individual(s))
__________________________________ Signature of notary public
(Stamp)
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 _______________________________
Dated ____________________________
__________________________________ Signature of notary public
(Stamp)
My commission expires: _________
Remote or electronic act statement Statutory wording
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.
This notarial act involved the use of communication technology.
Section 51-116(6): when the act is performed for a remotely located individual using communication technology under section 51-114A, the certificates in this section shall include a statement substantially like this one.
What an Idaho certificate must contain
- The short forms are sufficient only when completed with the information Idaho Code 51-115(1) and (2) requires: the certificate of notarial act and, on paper, your official stamp. (Idaho Code 51-116; Idaho Code 51-116, Short form certificates (Idaho Legislature))
- Each certificate carries the State and County venue lines, your signature, your stamp and your commission expiration date. (Idaho Code 51-116; Idaho Code 51-116, Short form certificates (Idaho Legislature))
- Copy certification: either you certify the photocopy directly, or the document's custodian certifies the copy and you take a jurat on the custodian's signature. The Secretary of State says some documents, such as birth certificates and court orders, cannot be copy certified. (Notary Certificate Examples, Idaho Secretary of State)
Common Idaho certificate mistakes
Summarized in our own words from the official sources named after each item.
- Using an acknowledgment when the document calls for the signer to sign in front of you; for witnessing, a signer who already signed must sign again in your presence. (Notary Certificate Examples, Idaho Secretary of State)
- Certifying a copy of a birth certificate or court order. (Notary Certificate Examples, Idaho Secretary of State)
- Treating the jurat as a promise that the statements are true; you administer the oath, you don't vouch for the content. (Notary Certificate Examples, Idaho Secretary of State)
- On a representative-capacity form, leaving out the signer's authority or the party represented. (Notary Certificate Examples, Idaho Secretary of State)
- Leaving the communication-technology statement off a remote certificate. (Idaho Code 51-116, Short form certificates (Idaho Legislature))
The Idaho 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 Idaho: each act, when it's used and the section it comes from.
- The Idaho wording reference: every form on this page with its source, plus what an 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: five items for Idaho, each with its source.
See the Idaho certificate wording pack
Sources
- Idaho Code 51-116, Short form certificates (Idaho Legislature) (checked November 7, 2026)
- Notary Certificate Examples, Idaho 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. The Idaho Secretary of State, notary public office has the final word on Idaho practice.
Idaho certificate questions
What is the Idaho acknowledgment certificate wording?
Idaho Code 51-116(1) gives: "State of ______________________ County of _____________________ This record was acknowledged before me on _____ (Date) by ____________________ (Name(s) of individual(s))" It closes with Signature of notary public, (Stamp) and My commission expires:.
What is the Idaho jurat wording?
Idaho Code 51-116(3) 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 an Idaho notary certify a copy?
Yes, within limits. Idaho Code 51-116(5) gives: "State of ______________________ County of _____________________ I certify that this is a true and correct copy of a record in the possession of _______________________________ Dated ____________________________"
What else must an Idaho notarial certificate show?
The short forms are sufficient only when completed with the information Idaho Code 51-115(1) and (2) requires: the certificate of notarial act and, on paper, your official stamp. Each certificate carries the State and County venue lines, your signature, your stamp and your commission expiration date.
Is there an Idaho remote notarization statement?
Yes. Idaho Code 51-116(6): "This notarial act involved the use of communication technology." Section 51-116(6): when the act is performed for a remotely located individual using communication technology under section 51-114A, the certificates in this section shall include a statement substantially like this one.
Who decides which Idaho 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 Idaho Secretary of State, 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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