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

Who it is for

Notaries commissioned through the Ohio Secretary of State, notary commissions, mobile notaries and signing agents working in Ohio who want Ohio'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 Ohio notary, or you only need to read the wording: it's public law and free on our Ohio 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: R.C. 147.55, Statutory short forms of acknowledgment (Ohio Revised Code, effective April 6, 2023); R.C. 147.542, Notarial certificates (Ohio Revised Code, effective April 3, 2025). No association templates or vendor forms.
• Where Ohio has no official form (signature witnessing, copy certification), the pack says so instead of inventing wording. Checked November 2026.
• The wording is public law and free on our Ohio page; the pack is the fill-in files, the chart and the checklist.

What is inside

• Which certificate do I use? (Ohio). One page: each Ohio notarial act, when it's used and where its wording comes from: acknowledgment (individual) (R.C. 147.55(A)); acknowledgment by a corporation (R.C. 147.55(B)); acknowledgment by a limited liability company (R.C. 147.55(C)); acknowledgment by a partnership (R.C. 147.55(D)); acknowledgment by an attorney in fact (R.C. 147.55(E)); acknowledgment by a public officer, trustee or personal representative (R.C. 147.55(F)); jurat (verification on oath or affirmation) (R.C. 147.542(C)(3)(b), (F)). Acts with no official form found are marked so: signature witnessing, copy certification.
• Ohio certificate wording reference. Every form word for word with its source and check date. The acknowledgment reads "The foregoing instrument was acknowledged before me this (date) by (name of person acknowledging)." and the jurat "Sworn to and subscribed before me (or: affirmed to and subscribed before me)" Then what an Ohio certificate must contain: provide a completed notarial certificate for every notarial act, preprinted, by ink stamp, handwritten or on a separate attached page; every certificate shows the state and county venue, the acknowledgment or jurat wording, the date, your signature exactly as on your commission, your printed name below your signature or stamp, and your seal and commission expiration date; never use an acknowledgment certificate when you administered an oath or affirmation, or a jurat certificate when you didn't.
• Fill-in certificates (Word and PDF). Seven certificates, one per page, for the acknowledgment (individual), acknowledgment by a corporation, acknowledgment by a limited liability company, acknowledgment by a partnership, acknowledgment by an attorney in fact, acknowledgment by a public officer, trustee or personal representative and jurat (verification on oath or affirmation), with blanks for the venue, date, names and your signature, seal and commission details. Remote acts: Ohio has no fixed remote sentence. If an electronic document was signed in your physical presence and notarized under R.C. 147.591, or an online notarization was performed under R.C. 147.60 to 147.66, the certificate must include a statement to that effect.
• Common-mistakes checklist. Five mistakes from R.C. 147.542, Notarial certificates (Ohio Revised Code, effective April 3, 2025), among them: advising a signer which act to choose. You may explain the difference between an acknowledgment and a jurat, but unless you are an attorney you may not advise which suits their situation; using a jurat with no oath or affirmation, or an acknowledgment after giving one; signing differently from your commission name. Plus a before-you-sign check.