Online notary · certificates
What a remote online notarization certificate must say (NJ)
When a New Jersey notary notarizes for you over video, the certificate has to say so. Here is the rule, where it comes from, the State's short-form statement, and what to do when a recipient wants its own form.
Short answer. New Jersey law requires the certificate for a notarial act performed by communication technology to indicate that the act was performed using communication technology (N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10(j)). The State's short form does that with a statement substantially like “This notarial act involved the use of communication technology.” (N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10(k)(2)).
The rule, word for word
If a notarial act is performed under this section, the certificate of notarial act required by section 10 of P.L.1979, c.460 (C.52:7-19), the certificate required by section c. of R.S.46:14-2.1, or the short-form certificate provided in section 21 of P.L.2021, c.179 (C.52:7-10.12) must indicate that the notarial act was performed using communication technology.
Source: N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10(j), enacted by P.L.2021, c.179, section 19. New Jersey Legislature. The State's Notary Public Manual repeats it (p. 22): the certificate must indicate that the notarial act was performed using communication technology.
The short-form statement
A short-form certificate for a remote act is sufficient if it is in the form provided by N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.12 and contains a statement substantially as follows:
This notarial act involved the use of communication technology.
Source: N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10(k)(2), P.L.2021, c.179, section 19. New Jersey Legislature. The other route in the statute, subsection (k)(1), is a form that complies with the State Treasurer's rules.
Sample wording
These are the State's acknowledgment and jurat short forms as printed in the Notary Public Manual (pp. 13-14), with the statement from N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10(k)(2) added. The statute doesn't say where the statement goes; this layout is ours.
Acknowledgment performed remotely
State of __________ County of __________ This record was acknowledged before me on (date) by ____________ (Name(s) of individual(s)) This notarial act involved the use of communication technology. ____________________ Signature of notarial officer Stamp First Name, MI, Last Name Notary Public, State of New Jersey My commission expires (mm/dd/yyyy)
Notary Public Manual p. 13 (short form, N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.12) + N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10(k)(2) statement. The statute requires the statement but doesn't say where it goes; we place it after the body of the certificate. The venue is New Jersey, not the signer's state: a remote act by a New Jersey notary is deemed performed in New Jersey (Notary Public Manual p. 19). For a signer in a representative capacity, use the representative form the same way.
Jurat performed remotely
State of __________ County of __________ Signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on (date) by ____________ (Name(s) of individual(s) making statement) This notarial act involved the use of communication technology. ____________________ Signature of notarial officer Stamp First Name, MI, Last Name Notary Public, State of New Jersey My commission expires (mm/dd/yyyy)
Notary Public Manual pp. 13-14 (short form, N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.12) + N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10(k)(2) statement. The statute requires the statement but doesn't say where it goes; we place it after the body of the certificate. The venue is New Jersey, not the signer's state: a remote act by a New Jersey notary is deemed performed in New Jersey (Notary Public Manual p. 19). For a signer in a representative capacity, use the representative form the same way.
Everything else on the certificate still applies
The certificate is executed at the same time as the act, signed and dated by you, identifies the jurisdiction (state and county), contains your title of office, shows your commission expiration date and is stamped. (Notary Public Manual, Chapter 6.) A remote act doesn't change those; it adds the communication-technology statement.
Paper documents signed on camera
When the signer signs a paper (tangible) record that the notary doesn't have in front of them, the manual (p. 21) also gives the notary's statement, “or words of similar import”, and a declaration the signer signs:
Paper record signed on camera (RIN): notary's statement
I ____________ [name of the notarial officer] witnessed, by means of communication technology, ____________ [name of remotely located individual] sign the attached record and declaration on ________ [date].
Notary Public Manual p. 21. The manual pairs this with the remotely located individual's signed declaration: "I declare under penalty of perjury that the record to which this declaration is attached is the same record on which [name of notarial officer] performed a notarial act and before whom I appeared by means of communication technology on [date]." The certificate for a remote act must also indicate that communication technology was used (manual p. 22).
That is how remote ink-signed notarization works.
Why it matters for acceptance
Recipients sometimes reject remote notarizations with the wrong certificate form. A certificate that says how the act was performed shows the county clerk, bank or agency reviewing it what kind of act it is, and it's what New Jersey law requires. It can't decide the rest: the recipient still decides whether it takes an electronic or remote notarization at all. What to ask the recipient.
If the recipient asks for its own form
- Send the form when you book, or before the session.
- The act is a New Jersey act, so the form has to meet New Jersey's certificate requirements and state that communication technology was used. We add the statement when the form leaves it out.
- If the form says something that didn't happen (for example, that you appeared in person), we won't sign it as written; we'll tell you before the session so you can ask the recipient whether the New Jersey form works.
- Other states' forms: see certificate wording by state. Those forms govern each state's own notaries.
Book an online session Online notary by state
Official sources we checked
- P.L.2021, c.179, section 19 (N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10), New Jersey Legislature
- New Jersey Notary Public Manual, Chapter 8 (pp. 21-22) and Chapter 6 (pp. 11-15). NJ Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services
General information, not legal advice. We are not lawyers. Whoever receives your document decides what it accepts, and we can't guarantee that any office or company will accept it. Checked November 8, 2026.
FAQ
Remote certificate questions
What does New Jersey require a remote notarization certificate to say?
The certificate must indicate that the notarial act was performed using communication technology (N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10(j)). A short-form certificate meets that if it uses the State's short form and contains a statement substantially like "This notarial act involved the use of communication technology." (N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10(k)(2)).
Does the statement have to use those exact words?
The statute says "substantially as follows", so the words don't have to match letter for letter, but the certificate has to indicate that communication technology was used. We use the statute's own sentence.
Where does the statement go on the certificate?
The statute doesn't say. We place it after the body of the certificate, before the notary's signature and stamp.
What if the recipient sends its own certificate form?
Send it to us before the session. The act is a New Jersey act, so the form has to meet New Jersey's certificate requirements and state that communication technology was used. If it can't be completed truthfully as written, we'll tell you before the session so you can ask the recipient.
Does the right wording mean the recipient has to accept it?
No. The recipient decides what it accepts. The right wording removes one common reason for a question; it can't promise a yes.