Quick answer. The area's commissioning office publishes the wording below. We show five forms: acknowledgment (individual), acknowledgment (representative capacity), verification upon oath or affirmation, signature witnessing and copy certification. There is no fixed remote sentence in the sources we read.
Which New Mexico certificate do I use?
| Act | Use it when | New Mexico 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. | NMSA 14-14A-15, as printed in the handbook (p. 9) |
| 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. | NMSA 14-14A-15, as printed in the handbook (p. 9) |
| Verification upon 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. | NMSA 14-14A-15, as printed in the handbook (p. 9) |
| 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. | NMSA 14-14A-15, as printed in the handbook (p. 9) |
| 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). | NMSA 14-14A-15, as printed in the handbook (p. 9) |
New Mexico 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 __________
County of __________
This instrument was acknowledged before me on [date] by [Name(s) of individual(s)].
____________________ [Signature of notarial officer]
[Official Stamp]
Title of office: ____________
Acknowledgment (representative capacity) 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 __________
County of __________
This instrument was acknowledged before me on [date] by [Name(s) of individual(s)] as [type of authority, e.g., officer, trustee, etc.] of [name of party on behalf of whom instrument was executed].
____________________ [Signature of notarial officer]
[Official Stamp]
Title of office: ____________
Verification upon 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 __________
County of __________
Signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on [date] by [Name(s) of person(s) making statement]
____________________ [Signature of notarial officer]
[Official Stamp]
Title of office: ____________
Signature witnessing Official sample
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 person(s)]
____________________ [Signature of notarial officer]
[Official Stamp]
Title of office: ____________
Copy certification Official sample
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 this is a true and correct copy of a record in the possession of [Name of person] Dated [date on document].
____________________ [Signature of notarial officer]
[Official Stamp]
Title of office: ____________
Remote and electronic acts in New Mexico
The handbook gives no separate certificate sentence for a remote online notarization; it covers the remote requirements (the notarial officer must be physically in the area and verify identity at the start of the session). No official remote form found in the sources we read; check with the New Mexico Secretary of State. (New Mexico Notarial Officer Handbook, revised July 2023 (New Mexico Secretary of State), checked November 7, 2026)
What a New Mexico certificate must contain
- The handbook says the short-form certificates must be completed with the information RULONA section 14(A) and (B) requires. (New Mexico Notarial Officer Handbook, revised July 2023 (New Mexico Secretary of State))
- The stamp shows your legal name exactly as on your Certificate of Commission, State of New Mexico, Notary Public, your commission number and expiration date, and the New Mexico State seal, in at least 10-point type. (New Mexico Notarial Officer Handbook, revised July 2023 (New Mexico Secretary of State))
- Copy certification only for an original that is not a vital record, public record or publicly recordable document. Make or supervise the copy, compare it with the original and confirm it is accurate and complete. (New Mexico Notarial Officer Handbook, revised July 2023 (New Mexico Secretary of State))
- The handbook prints Spanish versions of the certificates too (pp. 10-11). (New Mexico Notarial Officer Handbook, revised July 2023 (New Mexico Secretary of State))
Common New Mexico certificate mistakes
Our plain-English summary of what the official sources warn about; the source follows each one.
- Notarizing a blank or incomplete record. (New Mexico Notarial Officer Handbook, revised July 2023 (New Mexico Secretary of State))
- Certifying or authenticating a photograph. (New Mexico Notarial Officer Handbook, revised July 2023 (New Mexico Secretary of State))
- Notarizing a document in which you, your spouse or domestic partner is a party or has a direct beneficial interest. (New Mexico Notarial Officer Handbook, revised July 2023 (New Mexico Secretary of State))
- Performing an act without identifying the individual. (New Mexico Notarial Officer Handbook, revised July 2023 (New Mexico Secretary of State))
- Certifying a copy of a vital record, public record or recordable document. (New Mexico Notarial Officer Handbook, revised July 2023 (New Mexico Secretary of State))
The New Mexico 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 the area: each act, when it's used and the official sample it comes from.
- The New Mexico wording reference: every form on this page with its source, plus what a 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 the area, each with its source.
See the New Mexico certificate wording pack
Sources
- New Mexico Notarial Officer Handbook, revised July 2023 (New Mexico 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. If anything here differs from what the New Mexico Secretary of State, notary and apostille division tells you, follow the office.
New Mexico certificate questions
What is the New Mexico acknowledgment certificate wording?
The official sample (NMSA 14-14A-15, as printed in the handbook (p. 9)) reads: "State of __________ County of __________ This instrument was acknowledged before me on [date] by [Name(s) of individual(s)]." It closes with [Signature of notarial officer], [Official Stamp] and Title of office:.
What is the New Mexico jurat wording?
The official sample (NMSA 14-14A-15, as printed in the handbook (p. 9)) reads: "State of __________ County of __________ Signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on [date] by [Name(s) of person(s) making statement]" Use it only when you give the signer an oath or affirmation and they sign in front of you.
Can a New Mexico notary certify a copy?
Yes, within limits. The official sample (NMSA 14-14A-15, as printed in the handbook (p. 9)) reads: "State of __________ County of __________ I certify this is a true and correct copy of a record in the possession of [Name of person] Dated [date on document]."
What else must a New Mexico notarial certificate show?
The handbook says the short-form certificates must be completed with the information RULONA section 14(A) and (B) requires. The stamp shows your legal name exactly as on your Certificate of Commission, State of New Mexico, Notary Public, your commission number and expiration date, and the New Mexico State seal, in at least 10-point type.
Is there a New Mexico remote notarization statement?
The handbook gives no separate certificate sentence for a remote online notarization; it covers the remote requirements (the notarial officer must be physically in the area and verify identity at the start of the session). No official remote form found in the sources we read; check with the New Mexico Secretary of State.
Who decides which New Mexico 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 New Mexico Secretary of State, notary and apostille division'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 New Mexico · Notary work in New Mexico · New Jersey certificate wording · Nevada certificate wording