Quick answer. These are the Missouri certificates as the statute prints them. 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.
These are the statutory certificate forms of RSMo 486.750 to 486.765, as the Secretary of State's handbook reprints them (pp. 19-20). Pick the bracketed choices that fit and strike the rest.
Which Missouri certificate do I use?
| Act | Use it when | Missouri 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. | RSMo 486.750 (handbook p. 19) |
| 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. | RSMo 486.750 (handbook p. 19) |
| 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. | RSMo 486.755 (handbook pp. 19-20) |
| 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. | RSMo 486.760 (handbook p. 20) |
| 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). | RSMo 486.765 (handbook p. 20) |
Missouri 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 Missouri
County (and/or City) of _________
On this ______ day of _____ , 20 _____, before me, the undersigned notary, personally appeared ___________ (name of document signer), (personally known to me) (proved to me through identification documents, which were ________,) (proved to me on the oath or affirmation of ___________, who is personally known to me and stated to me that (he) (she) personally knows the document signer and is unaffected by the document,) (proved to me on the oath or affirmation of _______ and _______, whose identities have been proven to me through identification documents and who have stated to me that they personally know the document signer and are unaffected by the document,) to be the person whose name is signed on the preceding or attached document, and acknowledged to me that (he)(she) signed it voluntarily for its stated purpose(.)
_________________ (official signature and seal of notary)
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.
Use the RSMo 486.750 acknowledgment above, ending with the capacity line that applies:
(as partner for ______________, a partnership.)
(as _________ for __________, a corporation.)
(as attorney in fact for _______, the principal.)
(as ______ for ______, (a)(the) ___________)
_________________ (official signature and seal of notary)
Representative capacity is part of the same statutory acknowledgment form: the closing parenthetical names the capacity and the party represented.
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 Missouri
County (and/or City) of __________
On this ______ day of ______, 20 _____, before me, the undersigned notary, personally appeared __________ (name of document signer), (personally known to me) (proved to me through identification documents, which were ________,) (proved to me on the oath or affirmation of __________, who is personally known to me and stated to me that (he) (she) personally knows the document signer and is unaffected by the document,) (proved to me on the oath or affirmation of ______ and _______, whose identities have been proven to me through identification documents and who have stated to me that they personally know the document signer and are unaffected by the document,) to be the person who signed the preceding or attached document in my presence and who swore or affirmed to me that the contents of the document are truthful and accurate to the best of (his)(her) knowledge and belief.
_________________ (official signature and seal of notary)
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 Missouri
County (and/or City) of ___________
On this _______ day of ______, 20 _____, before me, the undersigned notary, personally appeared ___________ (name of document signer), (personally known to me) (proved to me through identification documents, which were ________,) (proved to me on the oath or affirmation of _______, who is personally known to me and stated to me that (he)(she) personally knows the document signer and is unaffected by the document,) (proved to me on the oath or affirmation of ______ and ______, whose identities have been proven to me through identification documents and who have stated to me that they personally know the document signer and are unaffected by the document,) to be the person who signed the preceding or attached document in my presence.
_________________ (official signature and seal of notary)
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).
I certify that the (attached or following paper document) (affixed, attached, or logically associated electronic document) has been (visually) (electronically) confirmed by me to be a true, exact, and complete copy of the image (or text) (and metadata) of _____________ and that, to the best of my knowledge, the copied document is neither a vital record, a public record, nor a publicly recordable document, certified copies of which may be available from an official source other than a notary.
_________________ (official signature and seal of notary)
RSMo 486.740 requires the venue (state and county) on every certificate; add it above this statement.
Remote and electronic acts in Missouri
Missouri's remote online notarization forms (RSMo 486.1100 and following) were beyond the part of the handbook we could read, so the pack doesn't reproduce them. Check the handbook's remote online chapter or the Secretary of State before a remote act. (Missouri Notary Handbook, updated May 2025 (Missouri Secretary of State), checked November 7, 2026)
What a Missouri certificate must contain
- The certificate contains your official signature, seal impression, the venue (state and county), the date and the facts attested. (RSMo 486.740(1); Missouri Notary Handbook, updated May 2025 (Missouri Secretary of State))
- Sign and seal at the time of the act; attach a loose certificate yourself, at the time, in the principal's presence, in a way that shows any later detachment, with all required elements on the same sheet. (RSMo 486.725, 486.745; Missouri Notary Handbook, updated May 2025 (Missouri Secretary of State))
- The seal shows your name exactly as commissioned, your commission ID number, the required words and your expiration date, within a border; don't place it over printed or written matter. (RSMo 486.730; Missouri Notary Handbook, updated May 2025 (Missouri Secretary of State))
- Copy certification is allowed, but never for a vital record, public record or recorded document. (RSMo 486.600(4), 486.640(5); Missouri Notary Handbook, updated May 2025 (Missouri Secretary of State))
Common Missouri certificate mistakes
Our plain-English summary of what the official sources warn about; the source follows each one.
- Signing or sealing an incomplete certificate, or one with information you know or believe is false. (Missouri Notary Handbook, updated May 2025 (Missouri Secretary of State))
- Sending a signed and sealed certificate for someone else to complete. (Missouri Notary Handbook, updated May 2025 (Missouri Secretary of State))
- Notarizing a blank or incomplete document, or one with no certificate wording. (Missouri Notary Handbook, updated May 2025 (Missouri Secretary of State))
- Certifying or authenticating a photograph. (Missouri Notary Handbook, updated May 2025 (Missouri Secretary of State))
- Completing a certificate in a language you don't read, write and understand. (Missouri Notary Handbook, updated May 2025 (Missouri Secretary of State))
- Using signature-witnessing wording when the document needs an oath (a jurat), or the reverse. (Missouri Notary Handbook, updated May 2025 (Missouri Secretary of State))
- Correcting a certificate without the original returned, the error verified, the change initialed and dated, and a journal note. (Missouri Notary Handbook, updated May 2025 (Missouri Secretary of State))
The Missouri 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 Missouri: each act, when it's used and the section it comes from.
- The Missouri wording reference: every form on this page with its source, plus what a Missouri 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 Missouri, each with its source.
See the Missouri certificate wording pack
Sources
- Missouri Notary Handbook, updated May 2025 (Missouri 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 Missouri Secretary of State, notary and commissions has the final word on Missouri practice.
Missouri certificate questions
What is the Missouri acknowledgment certificate wording?
RSMo 486.750 (handbook p. 19) gives: "State of Missouri County (and/or City) of _________ On this ______ day of _____ , 20 _____, before me, the undersigned notary, personally appeared ___________ (name of document signer), (personally known to me) (proved to me through identification documents, which were ________,) (proved to me on the oath or affirmation of ___________, who is personally known to me and stated to me that (he) (she) personally knows the document signer and is unaffected by the document,) (proved to me on the oath or affirmation of _______ and _______, whose identities have been proven to me through identification documents and who have stated to me that they personally know the document signer and are unaffected by the document,) to be the person whose name is signed on the preceding or attached document, and acknowledged to me that (he)(she) signed it voluntarily for its stated purpose(.)" It closes with (official signature and seal of notary).
What is the Missouri jurat wording?
RSMo 486.755 (handbook pp. 19-20) gives: "State of Missouri County (and/or City) of __________ On this ______ day of ______, 20 _____, before me, the undersigned notary, personally appeared __________ (name of document signer), (personally known to me) (proved to me through identification documents, which were ________,) (proved to me on the oath or affirmation of __________, who is personally known to me and stated to me that (he) (she) personally knows the document signer and is unaffected by the document,) (proved to me on the oath or affirmation of ______ and _______, whose identities have been proven to me through identification documents and who have stated to me that they personally know the document signer and are unaffected by the document,) to be the person who signed the preceding or attached document in my presence and who swore or affirmed to me that the contents of the document are truthful and accurate to the best of (his)(her) knowledge and belief." Use it only when you give the signer an oath or affirmation and they sign in front of you.
Can a Missouri notary certify a copy?
Yes, within limits. RSMo 486.765 (handbook p. 20) gives: "I certify that the (attached or following paper document) (affixed, attached, or logically associated electronic document) has been (visually) (electronically) confirmed by me to be a true, exact, and complete copy of the image (or text) (and metadata) of _____________ and that, to the best of my knowledge, the copied document is neither a vital record, a public record, nor a publicly recordable document, certified copies of which may be available from an official source other than a notary." RSMo 486.740 requires the venue (state and county) on every certificate; add it above this statement.
What else must a Missouri notarial certificate show?
The certificate contains your official signature, seal impression, the venue (state and county), the date and the facts attested. Sign and seal at the time of the act; attach a loose certificate yourself, at the time, in the principal's presence, in a way that shows any later detachment, with all required elements on the same sheet.
Is there a Missouri remote notarization statement?
Missouri's remote online notarization forms (RSMo 486.1100 and following) were beyond the part of the handbook we could read, so the pack doesn't reproduce them. Check the handbook's remote online chapter or the Secretary of State before a remote act.
Who decides which Missouri 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 Missouri Secretary of State, notary and commissions'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 Missouri · Notary work in Missouri · Minnesota certificate wording · Montana certificate wording