District of Columbia Notarial Certificate Wording Pack: Official Forms, Fill-In Certificates and a Mistakes Checklist

Who it is for

Notaries commissioned through the Office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia, Notary Commissions and Authentications, mobile notaries and signing agents working in DC who want District of Columbia's own certificate wording on hand, ready to fill in when a document arrives without a certificate.

Not the right fit if

You aren't a District of Columbia notary, or you only need to read the wording: it's public law and free on our District of Columbia certificate wording page. This pack doesn't decide which certificate a document needs or replace advice from an attorney.

Why it is different

• Only official sources: D.C. Code § 1-1231.15, Short forms (Council of the District of Columbia). No association templates or vendor forms.
• Every core act has an official District of Columbia form, each cited. Checked November 2026.
• The wording is public law and free on our District of Columbia page; the pack is the fill-in files, the chart and the checklist.

What is inside

• Which certificate do I use? (DC). One page: each District of Columbia notarial act, when it's used and where its wording comes from: acknowledgment (individual) (D.C. Code § 1-1231.15(1)); acknowledgment (representative capacity) (D.C. Code § 1-1231.15(2)); jurat (verification on oath or affirmation) (D.C. Code § 1-1231.15(3)); signature witnessing (D.C. Code § 1-1231.15(4)); copy certification (D.C. Code § 1-1231.15(5)).
• District of Columbia certificate wording reference. Every form word for word with its source and check date. The acknowledgment reads "This record was acknowledged before me on ________ (Date) by ____________________ (Name(s) of individual(s))" and the jurat "Signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on ________ (Date) by ______________________ (Name(s) of individual(s) making statement)" Then what a District of Columbia certificate must contain: the venue is simply District of Columbia; there is no county line; the short forms are sufficient only when completed with the information § 1-1231.14(a) and (b) requires (the certificate of notarial act and, where required, the official seal); each short form carries your signature, your seal, your title of office and your commission expiration date.
• Fill-in certificates (Word and PDF). Five certificates, one per page, for the acknowledgment (individual), acknowledgment (representative capacity), jurat (verification on oath or affirmation), signature witnessing and copy certification, with blanks for the venue, date, names and your signature, seal and commission details. Remote acts: Section 1-1231.15 has no remote sentence. No official remote form found in the sources we read; check with the Office of the Secretary's notary commissions section before a remote act.
• Common-mistakes checklist. Four mistakes from D.C. Code § 1-1231.15, Short forms (Council of the District of Columbia), among them: adding a state and county venue copied from another state's form; DC's venue is District of Columbia; leaving the commission expiration date blank; on a representative acknowledgment, leaving out the type of authority or the party represented. Plus a before-you-sign check.