Quick answer. North Dakota's law sets the wording below. 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 N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-13.1(10)(b).
Which North Dakota certificate do I use?
| Act | Use it when | North Dakota 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. | N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-19(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. | N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-19(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. | N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-19(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. | N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-19(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). | N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-19(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. | N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-13.1(10)(b) |
North Dakota 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
Stamp
[_______________________] Title of office
[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)) (type of authority, such as officer or trustee) of (name of party on behalf of whom record was executed).
__________________________ Signature of notarial officer
Stamp
[_______________________] Title of office
[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 notarial officer
Stamp
[_______________________] Title of office
[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 notarial officer
Stamp
[_______________________] Title of office
[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 notarial officer
Stamp
[_______________________] Title of office
[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 44-06.1-13.1(9) says the certificate and the short form must indicate that the act was performed using communication technology; a 44-06.1-19 short form containing a statement in substantially this form is sufficient.
What a North Dakota certificate must contain
- The certificate is executed at the time of the act and signed and dated by you in the same manner as your signature on file with the Secretary of State. (N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-14(1); N.D.C.C. chapter 44-06.1, Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (North Dakota Legislative Branch))
- It identifies the jurisdiction, contains your title of office and gives your commission expiration date. (N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-14(1); N.D.C.C. chapter 44-06.1, Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (North Dakota Legislative Branch))
- On a paper record your official stamp must be affixed to the certificate, at the time of each act. (N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-14(2), 44-06.1-23(8); N.D.C.C. chapter 44-06.1, Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (North Dakota Legislative Branch))
- Copy certification: determine that the copy is a full, true and accurate reproduction. Section 44-06.1-23(7) bars notaries from making copies of certain vital records, recordable instruments and public records bearing an official seal. (N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-04(4), 44-06.1-23(7); N.D.C.C. chapter 44-06.1, Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (North Dakota Legislative Branch))
Common North Dakota certificate mistakes
Summarized in our own words from the official sources named after each item.
- Completing the certificate after the signer leaves; it must be executed at the time of the act. (N.D.C.C. chapter 44-06.1, Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (North Dakota Legislative Branch))
- Stamping later or not at all; the stamp goes on at the time of each act. (N.D.C.C. chapter 44-06.1, Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (North Dakota Legislative Branch))
- Certifying a copy of a vital record or a recorded or sealed public record that the statute says notaries may not copy. (N.D.C.C. chapter 44-06.1, Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (North Dakota Legislative Branch))
- Leaving the communication-technology statement off a remote certificate. (N.D.C.C. chapter 44-06.1, Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (North Dakota Legislative Branch))
- Signing differently from the signature on file with the Secretary of State. (N.D.C.C. chapter 44-06.1, Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (North Dakota Legislative Branch))
The North Dakota 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 North Dakota: each act, when it's used and the section it comes from.
- The North Dakota wording reference: every form on this page with its source, plus what a North Dakota 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 North Dakota, each with its source.
See the North Dakota certificate wording pack
Sources
- N.D.C.C. chapter 44-06.1, Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (North Dakota Legislative Branch) (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 Dakota Secretary of State, notary public office tells you, follow the office.
North Dakota certificate questions
What is the North Dakota acknowledgment certificate wording?
N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-19(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, Stamp and [] Title of office.
What is the North Dakota jurat wording?
N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-19(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 a North Dakota notary certify a copy?
Yes, within limits. N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-19(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 a North Dakota notarial certificate show?
The certificate is executed at the time of the act and signed and dated by you in the same manner as your signature on file with the Secretary of State. It identifies the jurisdiction, contains your title of office and gives your commission expiration date.
Is there a North Dakota remote notarization statement?
Yes. N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-13.1(10)(b): "This notarial act involved the use of communication technology." Section 44-06.1-13.1(9) says the certificate and the short form must indicate that the act was performed using communication technology; a 44-06.1-19 short form containing a statement in substantially this form is sufficient.
Who decides which North Dakota 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 Dakota Secretary of State, notary public office'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 North Dakota · Notary work in North Dakota · North Carolina certificate wording · New Hampshire certificate wording