An acknowledgment is the form most frequently completed by a notary public. It can accompany a wide range of documents in cases where the identity of the signer requires verification. The acknowledgment certifies that a signer personally appeared before a notary and provided a valid form of identification. The form also indicates the date and county where the actually signing took place. In California, a certificate of acknowledgment must be worded exactly as follows:Acknowledgment
State of California
County of ____________)
On ____________ before me, ____________ (insert name and title of the officer) personally appeared ____________, who proved to me on the basis of satisfactory evidence to be the person(s) whose name(s) is/are subscribed to the within instrument and acknowledged to me that he/she/they executed the same in his/her/their authorized capacity(ies), and that by his/her/their signature(s) on the instrument the person(s), or the entity upon behalf of which the person(s) acted, executed the instrument.
I certify under PENALTY OF PERJURY under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing paragraph is true and correct.
WITNESS my hand and official seal.
Notary Signature ____________ (Seal)
What if a word is missing? Will the County Recorder look the other way? Sorry... no way. I learned early in the game to attach my own all-purpose California acknowledgment certificate to any document headed for the County Recorder. Even the best mortgage and title companies make mistakes while cutting and pasting text for their inch-thick mortgage and loan documents. A notary in this situation is better off playing it safe and using an all-purpose form for deeds.
A notary is not responsible for choosing the proper form to attach to a document. Before you contact a notary be sure to find out which form is required for your signing (acknowledgment, jurat, affidavit, etc.) In most cases notary forms will be included in your document package, though the actual notarial language may vary depending on the state in which the document originated. For example, last week I notarized a loan package for a home mortgage in Texas. The notarial language did not match what is required in California, so I attached all-purpose acknowledgment forms to comply with the law.
Find out more about the certificate of acknowledgment, and print out a free California acknowledgment form here:
What You Need to Know Before You Hire a Notary Public in California
