Notary Public Services
The two most common notarizations requested are acknowledgments and jurats. But not everyone knows the difference between these two acts. These are some important points that make acknowledgments and jurats different.
Acknowledgments:
The purpose of an acknowledgment is for a signer, whose identity has been verified, to declare to a Notary or notarial officer that he or she has willingly signed a document.An acknowledgment requires the following steps:
1. The signer must appear in person before the notary public.
2. The Notary must positively identify the signer according to your state’s rules.
3. The signer may either sign the document before appearing before the Notary, or in the Notary's presence.
4. The signer must declare (acknowledge) signing the document for its intended purpose.
The signer must be able to directly communicate with the Notary that he or she willingly signed the document.
Jurat:
The purpose of a jurat — also known in some states as a “verification upon oath or affirmation” — is for a signer to swear to or affirm the truthfulness of the contents of a document to a Notary or notarial officer.
A jurat requires the following steps:
1. The signer must appear in person before the notary and sign the document in the notary's your presence.
2. In some states (California), the notary is required to positively identify the signer.
3. The Notary must administer a spoken oath or an affirmation, and the signer must respond out loud. Silent answers such as a nod of the head are not acceptable.
While not required by law, it is strongly recommended that the Notary have the signer raise his or her right hand to emphasize the seriousness of the oath or affirmation. A jurat cannot be executed by someone offering to take the oath in someone else’s name — the original signer must swear or affirm the oath in person before the Notary.
If you would like to schedule an appointment, please click on the contact notary button to schedule an appoinment.
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