Quick answer. Below is the state's official sample certificate wording, act by act. We show four forms: acknowledgment (individual), jurat (verification on oath or affirmation), signature witnessing and copy certification. We found no official form for acknowledgment (representative capacity). There is no fixed remote sentence in the sources we read.
The state law (R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-30.1-12.2(g)) directs the commissioning agency to develop the short-form certificates rather than printing them in the statute. The wording below is the Department of State's sample certificates from its Notary Public Manual, reproduced as printed. The manual says the samples don't replace existing forms, such as real estate forms.
Which Rhode Island certificate do I use?
| Act | Use it when | Rhode Island 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. | Notary Public Manual, p. 11 (sample) |
| 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. | Notary Public Manual, p. 13 (sample) |
| 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. | Notary Public Manual, p. 14 (sample) |
| 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). | Notary Public Manual, p. 15 (sample) |
| 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 |
Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island
County of __________________________
On this ________ day of _________________, 20__, before me, the undersigned notary public, personally appeared __________________________________ (name of document signer), and proved to me through satisfactory evidence of identification to be the person whose name is signed on the preceding or attached document, and acknowledged that they signed it voluntarily for its stated purpose.
(official signature and stamp of notary) _____________
Printed Name, ID Number
Notary Public
My Commission expires: ______________________
Jurat (verification on 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.
Subscribed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on this ________ day of _________________, 20__, by ______________________________ who proved to me through satisfactory evidence of identification to be the person who appeared before me.
(official signature and stamp of notary) _____________
Printed Name, ID Number
Notary Public
My Commission expires: ______________________
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.
On this ________ day of _________________, 20__, before me, the undersigned notary public, personally appeared ___________________________ (name of signer), and proved to me through satisfactory evidence of identification to be the person whose name is signed on the preceding or attached document in my presence.
(official signature and stamp of notary) _____________
Printed Name, ID Number
Notary Public
My Commission expires: ______________________
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).
I certify that this is a true, exact, complete, and unaltered copy made by me of ________________________ (insert description of the document), presented to me by ________________________________________, and to the best of my knowledge the copied document is neither a vital record nor a publicly recordable document, certified copies of which may be available from an official source other than a notary.
(official signature and stamp of notary) _____________
Printed Name, ID Number
Notary Public
My Commission expires: ______________________
No official Rhode Island form found
- Acknowledgment (representative capacity). The manual has no separate representative-capacity sample. It says that, if applicable, the notary confirms the individual had authority to sign in a particular representative capacity. No official form found; check with the Rhode Island Department of State.
Remote and electronic acts in Rhode Island
R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-30.1-12.2 sets what a certificate for a remotely located individual must contain (executed at the time of the act, signed and dated, jurisdiction, title, commission expiration) but gives no fixed sentence, and the manual refers to the State of Rhode Island Electronic Notarization Standards. No official remote sentence found in the sources we read; check with the Department of State. (R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-30.1-12.2, Certificate of notarial act for a remotely located individual (Rhode Island General Assembly), checked November 7, 2026)
What a Rhode Island certificate must contain
- Sign the certificate, print your name, write the title Notary Public, list your commission expiration date and commission ID number, and affix your stamp. (Rhode Island Notary Public Manual, revised 7/2024 (Rhode Island Department of State))
- The stamp shows your name exactly as on your commission and the words NOTARY PUBLIC and the state; it may also show your ID number and expiration date. (Rhode Island Notary Public Manual, revised 7/2024 (Rhode Island Department of State))
- For a remote act the certificate is executed at the time of the act, signed and dated, identifies the jurisdiction, contains your title and gives your commission expiration date; don't sign it until the act is performed, and attach it securely. (R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-30.1-12.2; R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-30.1-12.2, Certificate of notarial act for a remotely located individual (Rhode Island General Assembly))
- Copy certification only for a document that is neither a vital record nor a publicly recordable document available from an official source. Make or supervise the copy, compare it with the original, and confirm it is a document a Rhode Island notary may lawfully copy. (Rhode Island Notary Public Manual, revised 7/2024 (Rhode Island Department of State))
Common Rhode Island certificate mistakes
Our plain-English summary of what the official sources warn about; the source follows each one.
- Signing or stamping an incomplete certificate. (Rhode Island Notary Public Manual, revised 7/2024 (Rhode Island Department of State))
- Replacing a document's own certificate (for example a real estate form, a form that may not be altered, or another state's certificate for filing there) with the sample. (Rhode Island Notary Public Manual, revised 7/2024 (Rhode Island Department of State))
- Expecting the signer to sign in front of you for an acknowledgment; it is the one act that may be signed ahead of time. (Rhode Island Notary Public Manual, revised 7/2024 (Rhode Island Department of State))
- Leaving out the special wording and two witnesses for a signature by mark, or the translator note for a non-English speaker. (Rhode Island Notary Public Manual, revised 7/2024 (Rhode Island Department of State))
- Certifying a translation, or notarizing a translation you prepared yourself. (Rhode Island Notary Public Manual, revised 7/2024 (Rhode Island Department of State))
- Deciding what certificate a will needs; the manual says to refer that to an attorney. (Rhode Island Notary Public Manual, revised 7/2024 (Rhode Island Department of State))
The Rhode Island 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 official sample it comes from.
- The Rhode Island 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: six items for the state, each with its source.
See the Rhode Island certificate wording pack
Sources
- Rhode Island Notary Public Manual, revised 7/2024 (Rhode Island Department of State) (checked November 7, 2026)
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-30.1-12.2, Certificate of notarial act for a remotely located individual (Rhode Island General Assembly) (checked November 7, 2026)
- R.I. Gen. Laws chapter 42-30.1, Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (index) (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. Questions about a particular document go to the Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division (notary) or an attorney.
Rhode Island certificate questions
What is the Rhode Island acknowledgment certificate wording?
The official sample (Notary Public Manual, p. 11 (sample)) reads: "State of Rhode Island County of __________________________ On this ________ day of _________________, 20__, before me, the undersigned notary public, personally appeared __________________________________ (name of document signer), and proved to me through satisfactory evidence of identification to be the person whose name is signed on the preceding or attached document, and acknowledged that they signed it voluntarily for its stated purpose." It closes with (official signature and stamp of notary), Printed Name, ID Number and Notary Public.
What is the Rhode Island jurat wording?
The official sample (Notary Public Manual, p. 13 (sample)) reads: "Subscribed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on this ________ day of _________________, 20__, by ______________________________ who proved to me through satisfactory evidence of identification to be the person who appeared before me." Use it only when you give the signer an oath or affirmation and they sign in front of you.
Can a Rhode Island notary certify a copy?
Yes, within limits. The official sample (Notary Public Manual, p. 15 (sample)) reads: "I certify that this is a true, exact, complete, and unaltered copy made by me of ________________________ (insert description of the document), presented to me by ________________________________________, and to the best of my knowledge the copied document is neither a vital record nor a publicly recordable document, certified copies of which may be available from an official source other than a notary."
What else must a Rhode Island notarial certificate show?
Sign the certificate, print your name, write the title Notary Public, list your commission expiration date and commission ID number, and affix your stamp. The stamp shows your name exactly as on your commission and the words NOTARY PUBLIC and the state; it may also show your ID number and expiration date.
Is there a Rhode Island remote notarization statement?
R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-30.1-12.2 sets what a certificate for a remotely located individual must contain (executed at the time of the act, signed and dated, jurisdiction, title, commission expiration) but gives no fixed sentence, and the manual refers to the State of Rhode Island Electronic Notarization Standards. No official remote sentence found in the sources we read; check with the Department of State.
Who decides which Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division (notary)'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 Rhode Island · Notary work in Rhode Island · Pennsylvania certificate wording · South Carolina certificate wording