Notarial Certificates and Records
Notarial Certificates and Records
This domain tests the certificate language, the seal, and the journal. A legally sufficient notarial act is not just a signature and stamp; the certificate must identify the act, and the journal must create a retrievable record.
Core rules
- Every certificate should identify the state and county, the date, the signer, the notarial act performed, and the notary's signature. Use acknowledgment language for an acknowledgment and jurat language for a jurat; do not blend them.
- An acknowledgment certificate states that the signer personally appeared and acknowledged the signature. A jurat states that the signer subscribed and swore or affirmed before the notary.
- The notary seal or stamp must include the notary's name, the words Notary Public and State of Missouri, the commission number, and the commission expiration date. A seal missing the expiration date or commission number is defective.
- Missouri notaries must keep a journal of notarial acts. Enter the date, type of act, signer's name and address, identification method, and fee. Retain the journal for at least ten years after the last entry.
- Never sign or seal a blank certificate. Complete the certificate at the time of the act, and do not let anyone else use the seal.
Worked example
A notary administers an oath to an affiant who signs a sworn statement. The notary writes only Signed before me and stamps the seal. The certificate is inadequate because it does not show that the signer was sworn. The notary should use jurat language: Subscribed and sworn to before me on [date] by [name]. The journal entry should record the jurat, the affiant's identification, and the date.
Traps
Do not treat a stamp alone as a certificate. Do not omit the county or the act performed. Do not skip the journal because the signer is a friend or because no fee was charged. Do not backdate or pre-date a certificate.