To fill out a jurat correctly, you appear in person before a notary with an unsigned document and valid photo ID, sign the document while the notary watches, and answer a spoken oath or affirmation that the contents are true. The notary then completes the certificate by filling in the venue, date, and your full legal name, signing, adding their commission expiration date, and affixing an official seal. Skip any of those steps and the notarization is not valid.
The Fields on a Jurat Certificate
Whether the jurat language is printed on your document or attached on a separate page, the same fields have to be completed. Knowing what they are makes it easier to spot a blank before you leave.
- Venue. The state and county where the notarization actually takes place, usually formatted “State of _____, County of _____.” This is the location of the notary’s desk, not where you live and not where the document will be filed.
- Body statement. Standard wording is a variation of “Subscribed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on [date] by [signer’s name].” Your full legal name goes in that blank.
- Date. The exact day the oath was given and you signed in front of the notary. It must be the actual day of the act, not a backdated or postdated one.
- Signer’s signature. Yours, signed in the notary’s presence.
- Notary signature. The same signature the notary has on file with their commissioning authority.
- Commission expiration date. Most states require this so anyone reviewing the document later can confirm the notary was authorized on the date shown.
- Seal or stamp. Placed so it is fully legible and does not cover any text or signature.
What to Bring
Showing up unprepared is the most common reason people make a second trip.
Bring a current, government-issued photo ID. A driver’s license, state ID card, or U.S. passport all work. It cannot be expired, and the name on it needs to match the name on the document. If your name has changed since the ID was issued, bring supporting documentation such as a marriage certificate.
Bring the complete document, and do not sign it beforehand. This is the step that trips people up. A jurat requires the notary to watch you sign, so a pre-signed document forces the notary to refuse. Bring every page. A notary should not notarize a document with missing pages or with unexplained blank spaces in the body text, because incomplete documents create fraud risk.
Know your legal name as it appears on the document, and be ready to state it. If the document says “Robert” and your ID says “Robert” but you go by “Bob,” use Robert throughout.
How the Signing and Oath Work
The sequence matters. Doing it out of order is what invalidates jurats.
First, you hand the notary your ID. The notary examines it and verifies you are the person named on the document. Next, you sign the document on the designated signature line while the notary watches. Then the notary administers the oath or affirmation out loud, and you answer out loud. A nod, a thumbs up, or a written “yes” does not count. You have to speak the response.
After you answer, the notary fills in the venue, the date, and your name in the certificate, signs it, notes the commission expiration date, and applies the seal. If the seal smudges or lands on top of text, the notary should reposition or use a loose certificate rather than leave an illegible impression.
The Oath or Affirmation
The verbal oath is what gives a jurat its legal weight. Without it, the notarization is incomplete and the document can be rejected.
A typical oath sounds like: “Do you solemnly swear that the statements in this document are true, so help you God?” If you would rather not reference a higher power, you can request an affirmation, which carries the same legal weight without the religious language: “Do you affirm that the statements in this document are true?” The notary should offer the choice; if they don’t, you can ask. Answer “I do,” out loud.
Take the step seriously. You are placing yourself under oath, and knowingly false statements can expose you to perjury charges. Under federal law, perjury carries a fine and up to five years in prison.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 1621 – Perjury Generally State perjury laws vary, but consequences are uniformly severe.
When a Notary Will Turn You Away
A competent notary declines the act in several situations. Knowing them in advance prevents wasted trips.
- Pre-signed document. If you already signed, the notary cannot perform a jurat on that copy. You need a fresh, unsigned version to sign in their presence.
- Inadequate ID. Expired ID, a name that doesn’t match the document, or no government-issued photo ID means the notary must refuse.
- Incomplete document. Missing pages or blank spaces in the body that should have been filled in are a red flag. Blanks reserved for official use or for other signers not present are generally acceptable.
- Conflict of interest. In most states, a notary cannot act if they are a party to the document, have a financial interest in it, or are closely related to you. Spouses, parents, children, and siblings are commonly restricted.
- Signs of confusion or coercion. If the notary believes you don’t understand what you’re signing or are being pressured, they should refuse.
Fixing Mistakes on the Certificate
Errors on a jurat, a misspelled name, wrong date, or wrong county, can undermine an otherwise valid notarization. How you fix them depends on when you catch them.
If the error is caught before anyone leaves, the notary can typically draw a single line through the mistake, write the correction nearby, and initial the change. Correction fluid and tape are not acceptable. Some notaries prefer to strike the entire certificate with a diagonal line, initial it, and attach a fresh loose certificate with the correct information. Both approaches work, though some states specify which is required.
If the error surfaces after everyone has left, the original certificate generally cannot be altered. The fix is to appear before a notary again for a new notarial act with a corrected certificate. Contact the original notary so they can note the issue in their journal, but do not try to change a completed certificate on your own. Alterations made without a notary present compromise the document.
When the Document Has No Jurat Block
Some documents don’t include pre-printed jurat language, or the space provided is too small for the seal and signature. In those cases, the notary attaches a separate page called a loose certificate. The requirements are identical; the certificate simply lives on its own sheet.
The notary should reference the attached document on the certificate by noting its title, date, and page count, then staple the certificate securely behind the signature page. A note on the original document pointing to the attached certificate, such as “see attached notarial certificate dated [date],” helps prevent the certificate from being detached and reused with something else.
Remote Online Notarization
Most states now permit remote online notarization, which lets you complete a jurat over a video call rather than in person. The core requirements are the same: you sign the document electronically, the notary verifies your identity, and you take the oath out loud on the video connection. The notary applies an electronic seal and signature.
Remote notarization adds identity verification steps. Beyond showing your ID on camera, most platforms run credential analysis (software that checks whether the ID is genuine) and knowledge-based authentication (questions drawn from your credit or public records that only you should be able to answer). The remote certificate must indicate the signer appeared remotely. Before scheduling one, confirm the entity receiving the document accepts remote notarizations; some courts and agencies still require in-person jurats.
Check Before You Leave
Small oversights at the notary’s desk turn into rejected documents weeks later. Run through these while you’re still sitting there:
- The date on the certificate matches the day you actually signed and took the oath.
- Your name on the certificate matches the name on the document and on your ID.
- The seal is fully visible and readable, not smudged or cutting across text.
- Every line on the certificate is filled in, including venue and commission expiration.
- Both signatures on the paper are original, not photocopies.
Anything wrong is a five-minute fix while the notary is still with you. Catching it in the parking lot means booking another appointment and starting over.