California All-Purpose Acknowledgment

Chapter 197, Statutes of 2014 amends California Civil Code section 1189 to require the addition of the following specific disclaimer to the top of the form certificate of acknowledgment: “A notary public or other officer completing this certificate verifies only the identity of the individual who signed the document to which this certificate is attached, and not the truthfulness, accuracy, or validity of that document.”The disclaimer must be legible and in an enclosed box. The certificate of acknowledgment (PDF) must be in the form set forth in California Civil Code section 1189.

California Jurat

Chapter 197, Statutes of 2014 amends California Government Code section 8202 to require the addition of the following specific disclaimer to the top of the form jurat: “A notary public or other officer completing this certificate verifies only the identity of the individual who signed the document to which this certificate is attached, and not the truthfulness, accuracy, or validity of that document.” The disclaimer must be legible and in an enclosed box. The jurat (PDF) must be in the form set forth in California Government Code section 8202.

California Copy Certification By Document Custodian

In states where Notaries are prohibited from certifying copies of documents, there is an alternative procedure called a copy certification by document custodian. This procedure allows a person in permanent possession of an original document to sign a written declaration that a copy of it is identical to the original, and take an oath or affirmation before the Notary. The custodian’s signature is then notarized on the written declaration using jurat wording. In essence, a copy certification by document custodian is an affidavit signed and sworn to by the custodian with a jurat as the notarization.