Quick answer. These are the state certificates as the statute prints them. 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 West Virginia certificate do I use?
| Act | Use it when | West Virginia 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. | W. Va. Code § 39-4-16(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. | W. Va. Code § 39-4-16(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. | W. Va. Code § 39-4-16(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. | W. Va. Code § 39-4-16(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). | W. Va. Code § 39-4-16(5) |
West Virginia 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)] as ............................ [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)] making statement
.............................. 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 and electronic acts in West Virginia
The handbook gives no separate remote certificate sentence. It says the seal on a remote act must state that the act involved communication technology and that electronic certificate wording follows W. Va. Code § 39-4-16. No official remote form found in the sources we read; check with the West Virginia Secretary of State. (West Virginia Notary Handbook, rev. September 2025 (West Virginia Secretary of State), checked November 7, 2026)
What a West Virginia certificate must contain
- The short forms are sufficient when completed with the information § 39-4-15(a) and (b) requires. (W. Va. Code § 39-4-16; W. Va. Code § 39-4-16, Short form certificates (West Virginia Legislature))
- Sign by hand with an original signature (never a reproduction) and include your commission expiration date and title of office. (West Virginia Notary Handbook, rev. September 2025 (West Virginia Secretary of State))
- The rubber-stamp seal shows Official Seal, Notary Public, State of the state, your name, an address (yours or your business's), your commission expiration date and a border, no larger than 1 by 2.5 inches. (West Virginia Notary Handbook, rev. September 2025 (West Virginia Secretary of State))
- If the acknowledgment form is missing, the handbook says the notary is responsible for writing the proper form; courts have held that substantial compliance with the statutory form is enough. (West Virginia Notary Handbook, rev. September 2025 (West Virginia Secretary of State))
- Copy certification only when a certified copy can't be had from a state officer (so never birth, marriage or death certificates, deeds, wills or licenses), on a written, signed request saying so, when copying is lawful, and keeping a copy of the copy on file. (West Virginia Notary Handbook, rev. September 2025 (West Virginia Secretary of State))
Common West Virginia certificate mistakes
Each item is our summary of an official source, named beside it.
- Certifying a copy of a birth, marriage or death certificate, deed, will or license that a state office can certify. (West Virginia Notary Handbook, rev. September 2025 (West Virginia Secretary of State))
- Putting several signers who appeared at different times on one certificate; each needs a separate certificate with identical wording. (West Virginia Notary Handbook, rev. September 2025 (West Virginia Secretary of State))
- Leaving out the required phrase when someone signs at the direction of a person who can't sign. (West Virginia Notary Handbook, rev. September 2025 (West Virginia Secretary of State))
- Letting anyone else use your stamp. (West Virginia Notary Handbook, rev. September 2025 (West Virginia Secretary of State))
- Notarizing where you or an immediate family member has a financial or other interest. (West Virginia Notary Handbook, rev. September 2025 (West Virginia Secretary of State))
- Charging more than $10 per notarized signature. (West Virginia Notary Handbook, rev. September 2025 (West Virginia Secretary of State))
The West Virginia 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia certificate wording pack
Sources
- W. Va. Code § 39-4-16, Short form certificates (West Virginia Legislature) (checked November 7, 2026)
- West Virginia Notary Handbook, rev. September 2025 (West Virginia 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. The West Virginia Secretary of State, notary division has the final word on the state practice.
West Virginia certificate questions
What is the West Virginia acknowledgment certificate wording?
W. Va. Code § 39-4-16(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 West Virginia jurat wording?
W. Va. Code § 39-4-16(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 West Virginia notary certify a copy?
Yes, within limits. W. Va. Code § 39-4-16(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 West Virginia notarial certificate show?
The short forms are sufficient when completed with the information § 39-4-15(a) and (b) requires. Sign by hand with an original signature (never a reproduction) and include your commission expiration date and title of office.
Is there a West Virginia remote notarization statement?
The handbook gives no separate remote certificate sentence. It says the seal on a remote act must state that the act involved communication technology and that electronic certificate wording follows W. Va. Code § 39-4-16. No official remote form found in the sources we read; check with the West Virginia Secretary of State.
Who decides which West Virginia 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 West Virginia Secretary of State, notary division's guidance. We are not lawyers, and nothing here promises that a receiving office will accept a document.
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