What does a notary do?
A notary performs an official act authorized by the law that governs the notary. The act is separate from the document’s legal effect or an institution’s acceptance.
Common notarial acts
An acknowledgment generally records that a signer acknowledged execution of a document. A jurat generally includes an oath or affirmation and a signature under the applicable procedure. State and territorial rules define the available acts and certificate wording.
Certificate wording and notarial act
Notarial certificates identify the act being recorded. Terms such as acknowledgment, jurat, witnessing, and notarization are not interchangeable, and state law defines the acts available to a notary.
Signing, witnessing, and notarization do different jobs
Signing records the signer’s act. A witness observes a signing and may add a witness signature. A notary performs a state-defined notarial act and completes a notarial certificate. Electronic signing changes the signing method; it does not by itself add a witness or notarization. Check the document and the organization’s instructions for which acts are actually requested.
Remote notarization
Where remote online notarization is authorized, technology changes how the signer and notary interact. It also does not decide whether the organization using the document will accept that method.
U.S. notary rules are state- and territory-specific
Notaries are generally commissioned under state or territorial law. The National Association of Secretaries of State maintains links to state and territorial notary information pages, while individual commissioning authorities publish their own forms, certificates, rules, and procedures. This structure is why a universal national checklist can be misleading.