Quick answer. Below is Montana'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 Montana certificate do I use?
| Act | Use it when | Montana 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. | MCA 1-5-610(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. | MCA 1-5-610(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. | MCA 1-5-610(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. | MCA 1-5-610(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). | MCA 1-5-610(5) |
Montana 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 notarial officer)
(Official stamp)
Title of officer (if not shown in stamp)
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) of or for (name of party on behalf of whom the record was executed) ______________________.
____________________ (Signature of notarial officer)
(Official stamp)
Title of officer (if not shown in stamp)
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 _____________
This record was signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on (date) by (name(s) of individual(s)) __________________.
____________________ (Signature of notarial officer)
(Official stamp)
Title of officer (if not shown in stamp)
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 _____________
The record was signed before me on (date) by (name(s) of individual(s)) _______________________.
____________________ (Signature of notarial officer)
(Official stamp)
Title of officer (if not shown in stamp)
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 (identification of record) in the possession of, or issued by, (custodian or issuer) and made by me on (date)
____________________ (Signature of notarial officer)
(Official stamp)
Title of officer (if not shown in stamp)
Remote and electronic acts in Montana
MCA 1-5-610 contains no separate remote short form. Montana lets a notary perform acknowledgments and verifications on oath or affirmation by means of communication technology under MCA 1-5-615; follow that section and the Secretary of State's rules for the certificate. (Title 1, Chapter 5, Part 6, MCA (Montana Secretary of State's copy of the statute), checked November 7, 2026)
What a Montana certificate must contain
- The certificate is executed at the time of the act, signed and dated by you in the same manner as on file, identifies the jurisdiction, contains your title and gives your commission expiration date. (MCA 1-5-609(1); Title 1, Chapter 5, Part 6, MCA (Montana Secretary of State's copy of the statute))
- On a paper record you affix your official stamp to, or emboss it on, the certificate, and the certificate must be part of or securely affixed to the record. (MCA 1-5-609(2); Title 1, Chapter 5, Part 6, MCA (Montana Secretary of State's copy of the statute))
- The stamp includes your name, title, city of residence and commission expiration date (or other information the Secretary of State requires) and, as a physical image, is in blue or black ink in the prescribed format. (MCA 1-5-616; Title 1, Chapter 5, Part 6, MCA (Montana Secretary of State's copy of the statute))
- Copy certification: the copy must be a full, true and accurate reproduction. A notary may not certify a copy of a record issued by a public entity, such as a birth, death or marriage certificate or a court record, unless employed by the entity issuing or holding the original. (MCA 1-5-603(4), 1-5-625(1)(c); Title 1, Chapter 5, Part 6, MCA (Montana Secretary of State's copy of the statute))
Common Montana certificate mistakes
Our plain-English summary of what the official sources warn about; the source follows each one.
- Certifying a copy of a birth, death or marriage certificate or a court record for a customer. (Title 1, Chapter 5, Part 6, MCA (Montana Secretary of State's copy of the statute))
- Stamping in an ink color other than blue or black. (Title 1, Chapter 5, Part 6, MCA (Montana Secretary of State's copy of the statute))
- Leaving the certificate loose instead of making it part of, or securely affixing it to, the record. (Title 1, Chapter 5, Part 6, MCA (Montana Secretary of State's copy of the statute))
- Charging more than the statutory cap of $10 per notarial act. (Title 1, Chapter 5, Part 6, MCA (Montana Secretary of State's copy of the statute))
- Leaving the title of officer off the certificate when your stamp doesn't show it. (Title 1, Chapter 5, Part 6, MCA (Montana Secretary of State's copy of the statute))
The Montana 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 Montana: each act, when it's used and the section it comes from.
- The Montana wording reference: every form on this page with its source, plus what a Montana 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 Montana, each with its source.
See the Montana certificate wording pack
Sources
- Title 1, Chapter 5, Part 6, MCA (Montana Secretary of State's copy of the statute) (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 Montana Secretary of State, notary program tells you, follow the office.
Montana certificate questions
What is the Montana acknowledgment certificate wording?
MCA 1-5-610(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 notarial officer), (Official stamp) and Title of officer (if not shown in stamp).
What is the Montana jurat wording?
MCA 1-5-610(3) gives: "State of ______________ County of _____________ This record was signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on (date) by (name(s) of individual(s)) __________________." Use it only when you give the signer an oath or affirmation and they sign in front of you.
Can a Montana notary certify a copy?
Yes, within limits. MCA 1-5-610(5) gives: "State of ______________ County of _____________ I certify that this is a true and correct copy of (identification of record) in the possession of, or issued by, (custodian or issuer) and made by me on (date)"
What else must a Montana notarial certificate show?
The certificate is executed at the time of the act, signed and dated by you in the same manner as on file, identifies the jurisdiction, contains your title and gives your commission expiration date. On a paper record you affix your official stamp to, or emboss it on, the certificate, and the certificate must be part of or securely affixed to the record.
Is there a Montana remote notarization statement?
MCA 1-5-610 contains no separate remote short form. Montana lets a notary perform acknowledgments and verifications on oath or affirmation by means of communication technology under MCA 1-5-615; follow that section and the Secretary of State's rules for the certificate.
Who decides which Montana 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 Montana Secretary of State, notary program'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 Montana · Notary work in Montana · Missouri certificate wording · North Carolina certificate wording