Serving Merced and Stanislaus Counties!
I am not an attorney and therefore, by law, I cannot explain or interpret the contents of any document for you, instruct you on how to complete a document or direct you on the advisability of signing a particular document.
By doing so I would be engaging in the unauthorized practice of law and could face legal penalties that include the possibility of incarceration. Any important questions about your document should be addressed to the issuing/receiving agency or an attorney.
A notary is a person of integrity, appointed by the Secretary of State to verify the identity of the document signers. A notary also performs copy certifications and administers oaths and affirmations.
A notarization is a certificate filled out by the Notary, certifying certain facts about the signer and document. The Notary does not verify the accuracy or validity of the document.
Acknowledgement:
The signer personally appears before the Notary, is identified, and signs the document or acknowledges that he or she signed the document.
Proof of Execution by Subscribing witness:
An individual vouches before a Notary for having watched the principal signer of a document sign the document or take the signer's acknowledgement they signed and having been requested to sign the document themselves as a witness. They must appear with one credible witness who has valid ID, and who the notary personally knows) in front of the notary.
Jurat:
The signer personally appears before the notary, is identified, signs inn the presence of the notary, and is administered an oath or affirmation declaring the truthfulness of the document.
Oath/Affirmation:
Spoken promises of truthfulness made in the presence of the Notary (e.g., Oath of office, witness for testimony, depositions).
Copy Certification:
Notary certifies a copy is an accurate reproduction of the original. (Powers of attorney only).
For copy certification of other documents, a signer may write a statement about the document and sign it. Then the notary may notarize that signature by proving the identity of the signer as in an acknowledgment, or have the signer swear that what they wrote in the statement is true, which is a Jurat.
The signer should ask the receiving agency, not the notary, what type of notarization they need. The signer may seek advice from an attorney or choose to act for him or herself. For signatures, an acknowledgement proves you signed the document, for a Jurat, the signer swears/affirms what they signed is true.