Updated 10-9-23. Many Notaries get confused when completing an acknowledgment, even though it is one of the most common types of notarizations. Here are five steps for correctly performing an acknowledgment:
1. Require personal appearance
The signer must personally appear before you at the time of the notarization, though the document may be signed prior to the signer appearing before you. (Note: States that have authorized remote online notarizations permit a signer and Notary to communicate using audiovisual technology in place of physical appearance when conducting a remote notarization.)
2. Review the document
Scan the document to make sure it is complete, has no blank spaces or missing pages, and includes a Notary certificate. The certificate tells you what type of notarization to perform. Without it, the signer will need to indicate whether they need an acknowledgment, jurat or other notarial act, and you’ll need to provide and attach the appropriate certificate form.
3. Screen the signer and verify the facts
Screen the signer’s identity according to your state’s requirements, ask them if they signed or are signing willingly and watch to verify that they are aware of what they are doing. If the document has already been signed, the signer must acknowledge to you that the signature is theirs. If there is no signature, watch the signer sign the document.
4. Record the notarization
Complete a detailed record in a bound journal about the facts of the notarization: the date and time, a description of the document, the type of notarization, the signer’s name and address, how the signer was identified, the fee collected, and the signer’s signature. Some states require specific information to be recorded; you must know and follow these requirements.
5. Complete the notarization
Fill out, sign, and affix your official seal to the Notary certificate. The wording requirements for acknowledgment certificates varies from state to state. Some states require specific wording while other states provide Notaries general guidance. In California, for example, the wording that must be used for an acknowledgment certificate is set by state law. Florida does not require exact wording, but the certificate must include elements spelled out in Florida Statutes, 117.05[4], including the venue, name of signer, type and date of notarization, form of identification used, the Notary's signature, name and seal, and whether the signer appeared via physical presence or online notarization before the Notary. Georgia, on the other hand, does not prescribe specific wording for acknowledgment certificates. Make sure to review and follow your state’s requirements.
Always remember that the Notary may not decide what type of notarial act is appropriate for a given document. If there is no certificate provided that tells you what to do and the signer is uncertain, refer them back to the person or agency that provided or will receive the document for instructions.
Learn the basics of a notarization and the different notarial acts in NNA’s 20-minute Notary Quick-Start Training course.
Related Articles:
5 steps to a proper notarization
Notary Essentials: The difference between acknowledgments and jurats