Yes, a notary is required.
In writing, signed and acknowledged as set out in R.S.46:14-2.1 (the acknowledgment statute for recorded documents).
In the official wording
"must be in writing, duly signed and acknowledged in the manner set forth in R.S.46:14-2.1."
From the official pages listed below, checked November 2026.
What else the signing needs
- Witnesses
- None under the execution rule we read. The formality section asks for a writing, a signature and an acknowledgment, not witnesses.
"must be in writing, duly signed and acknowledged in the manner set forth in R.S.46:14-2.1."
- Agent's acknowledgment
- The act sets the agent's duties but has no separate signed acceptance.
"An attorney-in-fact has a fiduciary duty to the principal"
- Recording for real estate
- The act doesn't require recording; an affidavit of the agent is recordable when the transaction needs a recordable instrument.
"likewise recordable"
- Durable after incapacity
- Durable when it contains the statute's words showing the authority survives disability or incapacity.
"A durable power of attorney is a power of attorney which contains the words"
Not confirmed on the pages we read: an official form. Check with P.L.2000, c.109, Revised Durable Power of Attorney Act (New Jersey Legislature).
Next step
Sign by video with our New Jersey notary while you're in New Jersey, 7 AM to 9 PM Eastern, seven days a week, by appointment. New Jersey law lets a New Jersey notary notarize for a signer located in another state (N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10).
New Jersey's deed-acknowledgment statute, R.S.46:14-2.1, as amended by P.L.2021, c.179, covers acknowledgments by communication technology, and N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.15 covers recording a paper copy of an electronic record. Whether a particular county clerk or title company takes a document is still their call, so ask before you sign.
If the agent will use it for real estate, ask the title company or the county clerk before you sign.
Book an online notarization Book a mobile notary in New Jersey
And a health care power of attorney?
A notary or witnesses. Notarize it, or sign and date it in front of two adult witnesses; the health care representative can't be a witness.
"You can choose to get your advance directive notarized, in which case you don't need additional witnesses."
Two adult witnesses if you don't use a notary.
From Advance Directive Forms and FAQs (New Jersey Department of Health). A health care document follows its own signing rule, separate from the financial one.
Official sources
- P.L.2000, c.109, Revised Durable Power of Attorney Act (New Jersey Legislature) (checked November 2026)
- Advance Directive Forms and FAQs (New Jersey Department of Health) (checked November 2026)
We are not lawyers, and this is general information, not legal advice. Checked November 2026. Rules change, and whoever receives the document decides what it accepts; we can't guarantee acceptance.
Common questions
Is notarization required for a power of attorney in New Jersey?
Yes, a notary is required. In writing, signed and acknowledged as set out in R.S.46:14-2.1 (the acknowledgment statute for recorded documents).
Are witnesses needed for a New Jersey power of attorney?
None under the execution rule we read. The formality section asks for a writing, a signature and an acknowledgment, not witnesses.
Does the agent sign anything in New Jersey?
The act sets the agent's duties but has no separate signed acceptance.
Does a New Jersey power of attorney have to be recorded for a house sale?
The act doesn't require recording; an affidavit of the agent is recordable when the transaction needs a recordable instrument.
Does a medical power of attorney need a notary in New Jersey?
A notary or witnesses. Notarize it, or sign and date it in front of two adult witnesses; the health care representative can't be a witness.
Can I sign a New Jersey power of attorney with an online notary?
Our New Jersey notary can notarize it by video while you're in New Jersey. You're signing with a New Jersey notary under New Jersey law, so no other state's recognition rule comes into it. A New Jersey notary physically in New Jersey may notarize for a remotely located signer, and the act counts as performed in New Jersey.
Keep going
- New Jersey power of attorney signing requirements
- Signing checklist
- Power of attorney rules in every state
- A will in New Jersey
A power of attorney in another state: New Hampshire · New Mexico · every state