Notarial Acts, Certificates, and Acknowledgments
The certificate is the proof
Every notarial act must be evidenced by a certificate signed and dated by the notary, containing the notary's name as commissioned, the jurisdiction, the title "Notary Public," and the commission expiration date. The certificate language must match the act: an acknowledgment confirms the signer personally appeared and acknowledged executing the document; a jurat (verification on oath) confirms the signer swore to the truth of the contents in the notary's presence.
Acknowledgments vs. jurats
The classic trap is using an acknowledgment form for an affidavit or vice versa. An acknowledgment does not require the signer to swear to truth; a jurat does, and the signer must sign in the notary's presence. For a copy certification, the notary certifies the copy matches the original - but notaries may not certify copies of publicly recordable documents such as birth, death, or marriage certificates.
Form and completeness
A certificate must be complete when the notary signs; blanks invite fraud. The notary should not pre-sign or pre-date certificates. The notarial wording may be on the document or attached as a separate certificate.
Worked example
An affiant brings a sworn statement. You must administer the oath, watch the signature, and complete a jurat stating the affiant swore to the truth in your presence. Using "acknowledged" language here would be the wrong certificate for the act.
Rule of thumb: Oath taken → jurat. Signature acknowledged → acknowledgment. Match the certificate to the act, every time.