Mobile Notary Service in the Greater Fairfax VA Area
Serving individuals and businesses in Fairfax and throughout Fairfax County VA
ACCEPTED NOTARIAL ACTS IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA
(From the National Notary Association)
The notarial certificates listed below can be used in the state of Virginia; they contain all the elements required by law in a Virginia notarial act. These documents are located in the National Notary Association's resources section for NNA members. I posted them here because, as a notary, I am often asked to notarize a document that doesn't contain any notarial wording. In that case, the assigning party or the signer may choose the type of certificate they wish to attach.
1. Individual Acknowledgement
2. Corporate Acknowledgement
3. Partnership Acknowledgement
4. Copy Certification by Notary
5. Attorney in Fact Acknowledgement
6. Jurat
7. Jurat with Affiant Statement
8. Public Officer/Trustee/Representative Acknowledgement
- Each document title links to the specific document; all documents are in PDF format; and each document contains a page of step-by-step instructions.
This notarial certificate is used when an individual is signing and acknowledging on his or her own behalf.
The optional section at the bottom can deter alteration of the document or fraudulent reattachment of this form to an unintended document.
This notarial certificate is used when a duly authorized corporate officer or representative is signing and acknowledging on behalf of a corporation. Such designated officers may include the president, vice president, treasurer, secretary and attorney in fact. As an entity under law, a corporation has many of the legal rights of a person and may legally commit itself when a corporate officer signs on behalf of the corporation.
The optional section at the bottom can deter alteration of the document or fraudulent reattachment of this form to an unintended document. The insertions in this section are not required by law. Failure to fill out this section will not affect the validity of the certificate.
The Partnership Acknowledgment certificate is used when an individual is signing and acknowledging on behalf of a partnership, as one of the partners or as a duly appointed agent. It may be used for the acknowledgment of more than one signing partner, but only if these individuals appear before the notary at the same time.
The optional section at the bottom can deter alteration of the document or fraudulent reattachment of this form to an unintended document.
If no other copy certification wording is prescribed, this certificate may be used by Notaries to certify true copies of original documents — if state law so allows. The notary must carefully compare the copy that is being certified to the original, and, whenever possible, personally make the copy. The original should not be a public record nor a publicly recordable document, such as a birth certificate or deed.
The optional section at the bottom can deter alteration of the document or fraudulent reattachment of this form to an unintended document.
The Attorney in Fact Acknowledgment certificate is used when a person is signing and acknowledging as attorney in fact on behalf of another individual, the principal. The attorney in fact has the legal authority to sign for the principal and is said to have power of attorney for the principal. On the document to be notarized, the attorney in fact signs both the name of the principal (e.g., “Michael T. Smith, principal”) and his or her own name (e.g., “John R. Allen, attorney in fact”).
The optional section at the bottom can deter alteration of the document or fraudulent reattachment of this form to an unintended document.
This form may be used when an individual is signing and swearing (or affirming) that certain written statements are true.
The optional section at the bottom can deter alteration of the document or fraudulent reattachment of this form to an unintended document.
If no other format is prescribed, this certificate may be used when an individual is signing and swearing (or affirming) that certain written statements are true. The text space provided (lines 1–6) is available for a document signer to type or neatly print (in ink) a written statement. A person completing any of lines 1–6 must sign this form on line 7 in the presence of the notary, who would also administer an oath or affirmation. If this jurat is to be attached to another document, then the notary should cross out lines 1–7. The signer would affix a signature on the attached document, not on this certificate, in the notary’s presence.
The optional section at the bottom can deter alteration of the document or fraudulent reattachment of this form to an unintended document.
If no other format is prescribed, this certificate may be used when an individual is signing and swearing (or affirming) that certain written statements are true. The text space provided (lines 1–6) is available for a document signer to type or neatly print (in ink) a written statement. A person completing any of lines 1–6 must sign this form on line 7 in the presence of the notary, who would also administer an oath or affirmation. If this jurat is to be attached to another document, then the notary should cross out lines 1–7. The signer would affix a signature on the attached document, not on this certificate, in the notary’s presence.
The optional section at the bottom can deter alteration of the document or fraudulent reattachment of this form to an unintended document.