Choosing the Right Certificate for Your Document
As a Notary, I can not tell you what type of certificate that you would need to choose for your document when having it notarized. If you are unsure about the certificate you need, it is best to talk to the creator or issuer of your document. I can, however, provide you with information on the types of certificates available to help you make the best-informed decision possible.
There are two main types of certificates. They are called a Certificate of Acknowledgment and a Jurat Certificate.
Acknowledgement
In general, an Acknowledgement certificate will contain the words “acknowledged before me” or similar wording. To receive a Certificate of Acknowledgement, a signer must ask for their document to be notarized as an Acknowledgement and for a Certificate of Acknowledgement to be attached to their notarized document.
To receive an acknowledgement for the document, the Notary must positively identify the document signer according to law. The document signer must declare that he or she willingly signed the document. The document signer must acknowledge that the signature on the document is theirs. This declaration is called an Acknowledgement.
An “Acknowledgement” is called this because the signer is verbally acknowledging that they are signing the document of their own free will. Upon request, a Certificate of Acknowledgement can be attached to your document after it is notarized.
Jurat
In general, a jurat will contain the words subscribed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me. To receive a Jurat certificate, a signer must ask for their document to be notarized as a Jurat and ask for the Jurat certificate to be attached to the document.
During a Jurat, the Notary administers an oath to the document signer. The document signer will either swear by oath or affirm the truthfulness of the contents of the document. This requires a document signer to make a legally binding promise that the contents of the document are truthful.
Swearing is a promise of truthfulness to a higher power and an affirmation is a promise of truthfulness made on personal honor. A Jurat must be signed in the presence of the Notary. The document signer must sign in the presence of a notary even if they have already signed the document prior to getting the document notarized.