Quick answer. The state's law sets the wording below. We show three forms: acknowledgment (individual), oath or affirmation (jurat) and verification or proof by a subscribing witness. We found no official form for acknowledgment (representative capacity), signature witnessing and copy certification. There is no fixed remote sentence in the sources we read.
Which North Carolina certificate do I use?
| Act | Use it when | North Carolina 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. | G.S. 10B-41(a) |
| Oath or affirmation (jurat) | 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. | G.S. 10B-43(a) |
| Verification or proof by a subscribing witness | A sworn statement in this state's own verification format (for example, a subscribing witness proving a signature, or a signer swearing they read the document). | G.S. 10B-42(a) |
| 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. | No official form found |
| 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 |
North Carolina 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.
______________ County, North Carolina
I certify that the following person(s) personally appeared before me this day, each acknowledging to me that he or she signed the foregoing document: ____________ (name(s) of principal(s)).
Date: ____________________ ____________________ Official Signature of Notary
____________________ Notary's printed or typed name, Notary Public
(Official Seal) My commission expires: _____________
Oath or affirmation (jurat) 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.
__________________ County, North Carolina
Signed and sworn to before me this day by ____________ (name of principal).
Date: ____________________ ____________________ Official Signature of Notary
____________________ Notary's printed or typed name, Notary Public
(Official Seal) My commission expires: _____________
G.S. 10B-43(a) gives an alternative: "Sworn to and subscribed before me this day by (name of principal)." Under 10B-43(d)(2), "affirmed" or "sworn to or affirmed" may be substituted for "sworn to".
Other North Carolina forms
Verification or proof by a subscribing witness Statutory wording
A sworn statement in this state's own verification format (for example, a subscribing witness proving a signature, or a signer swearing they read the document).
__________________ County, North Carolina
I certify that ____________ (name of subscribing witness) personally appeared before me this day and certified to me under oath or by affirmation that he or she is not a grantee or beneficiary of the transaction, signed the foregoing document as a subscribing witness, and either (i) witnessed ____________ (name of principal) sign the foregoing document or (ii) witnessed ____________ (name of principal) acknowledge his or her signature on the already-signed document.
Date: ____________________ ____________________ Official Signature of Notary
____________________ Notary's printed or typed name, Notary Public
(Official Seal) My commission expires: _____________
No official North Carolina form found
- Acknowledgment (representative capacity). G.S. 10B-41(a) is a single acknowledgment form; Chapter 10B prints no separate representative-capacity wording in the parts we read. No official form found; check with the Department of the Secretary of State.
- Signature witnessing. The state's notarial acts in Chapter 10B are the acknowledgment, the verification or proof, and the oath or affirmation; we found no separate signature-witnessing certificate. Check with the Department of the Secretary of State.
- Copy certification. The parts of Chapter 10B we read print no copy-certification certificate (G.S. 10B-23(b) does bar certifying or authenticating photographs). No official form found; check with the Department of the Secretary of State.
Remote and electronic acts in North Carolina
We did not read a remote electronic notarization certificate sentence (Article 4A of Chapter 10B). For emergency video notarization, G.S. 10B-25(g) required the certificate to name the North Carolina county where the notary was located and a statement that the notary signed the certificate according to the emergency video notarization requirements of G.S. 10B-25. Check with the Department of the Secretary of State for current remote wording. (N.C. Gen. Stat. Chapter 10B, Notaries (North Carolina General Assembly), checked November 7, 2026)
What a North Carolina certificate must contain
- Don't issue a certificate unless you have personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence of the principal's identity. (G.S. 10B-40(a); N.C. Gen. Stat. Chapter 10B, Notaries (North Carolina General Assembly))
- An acknowledgment certificate identifies the state and county, names the principal, states that the principal personally appeared and acknowledged signing, gives the date, and has your signature, seal and commission expiration date. (G.S. 10B-40(b); N.C. Gen. Stat. Chapter 10B, Notaries (North Carolina General Assembly))
- An oath or affirmation certificate names the principal, states that the principal signed and swore or affirmed the truth of the record, gives the date, and has your signature, seal and commission expiration date. (G.S. 10B-40(d); N.C. Gen. Stat. Chapter 10B, Notaries (North Carolina General Assembly))
Common North Carolina certificate mistakes
Summarized in our own words from the official sources named after each item.
- Completing a certificate without personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence of identity. (N.C. Gen. Stat. Chapter 10B, Notaries (North Carolina General Assembly))
- Using the acknowledgment form when the principal is swearing to the contents, or the reverse. (N.C. Gen. Stat. Chapter 10B, Notaries (North Carolina General Assembly))
- Using the verification form for a subscribing witness who is a grantee or beneficiary of the transaction. (N.C. Gen. Stat. Chapter 10B, Notaries (North Carolina General Assembly))
- Leaving your printed or typed name off; the statutory forms include it under your signature. (N.C. Gen. Stat. Chapter 10B, Notaries (North Carolina General Assembly))
- Certifying or authenticating a photograph. (N.C. Gen. Stat. Chapter 10B, Notaries (North Carolina General Assembly))
The North Carolina 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 state: each act, when it's used and the section it comes from.
- The North Carolina wording reference: every form on this page with its source, plus what a state 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 state, each with its source.
See the North Carolina certificate wording pack
Sources
- N.C. Gen. Stat. Chapter 10B, Notaries (North Carolina General Assembly) (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 North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, notary section tells you, follow the office.
North Carolina certificate questions
What is the North Carolina acknowledgment certificate wording?
G.S. 10B-41(a) gives: "______________ County, the state I certify that the following person(s) personally appeared before me this day, each acknowledging to me that he or she signed the foregoing document: ____________ (name(s) of principal(s))." It closes with Date: Official Signature of Notary, Notary's printed or typed name, Notary Public and (Official Seal) My commission expires:.
What is the North Carolina jurat wording?
G.S. 10B-43(a) gives: "__________________ County, North Carolina Signed and sworn to before me this day by ____________ (name of principal)." Use it only when you give the signer an oath or affirmation and they sign in front of you.
Can a North Carolina notary certify a copy?
The parts of Chapter 10B we read print no copy-certification certificate (G.S. 10B-23(b) does bar certifying or authenticating photographs). No official form found; check with the Department of the Secretary of State.
What else must a North Carolina notarial certificate show?
Don't issue a certificate unless you have personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence of the principal's identity. An acknowledgment certificate identifies the state and county, names the principal, states that the principal personally appeared and acknowledged signing, gives the date, and has your signature, seal and commission expiration date.
Is there a North Carolina remote notarization statement?
We did not read a remote electronic notarization certificate sentence (Article 4A of Chapter 10B). For emergency video notarization, G.S. 10B-25(g) required the certificate to name the North Carolina county where the notary was located and a statement that the notary signed the certificate according to the emergency video notarization requirements of G.S. 10B-25. Check with the Department of the Secretary of State for current remote wording.
Who decides which North Carolina 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 North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, notary section's guidance. We are not lawyers, and nothing here promises that a receiving office will accept a document.
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