You did the right thing. If a document doesn’t have notarial wording, or contains incorrect notarial wording, you have to attach the appropriate loose certificate (acknowledgment or jurat). You cannot place your seal where there is no notarial wording or the wording is not proper. If your signer doesn’t want you to attach a loose certificate to the document, or insists that you place your seal where there isn’t proper notarial wording, you have no other choice but to refuse to perform the notarization.
Confronted with a tricky notarization? Unsure how to proceed? NNA members have unlimited access to our expertly trained NNA Hotline counselors to help you with all of your notarial questions. Call (888) 876-0827, Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. PST; Saturday, 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST