A jurat is the official written statement by a notary public that he or she has administered and witnessed an oath or affirmation for an oath of office, or on an affidavit; that is, that a person has sworn to or affirmed the truth of information contained in a document under penalty of perjury, whether that document is a lengthy deposition or a simple statement on an application form.
In times gone by, the notary would indicate the street address at which the ceremony was performed, and this practice, though unusual today, is occasionally encountered.
That section provides that to meet any notarization requirement under federal law or practice, an unsworn declaration under penalties of perjury is sufficient.
[7] Notary public must witness a couple's signatures, and affix a seal, to a wedding license to make it legal.
California law sets maximum, but not minimum, fees for services related to notarial acts (e.g., per signature: acknowledgment $15, jurat $15, certified power of attorney $15, et cetera).
California law explicitly prohibits notaries public, who are not attorneys, from using literal foreign language translation of their title, unless accompanied by a disclaimer, in both the foreign language and in English, that the notary public is not an attorney and therefore cannot give legal advice.
A third party seeking to verify the status of a Colorado notary may do so by visiting the Secretary of State's website.
Florida is one of three states (Maine and South Carolina are the others) where a notary public can solemnize the rites of matrimony (perform a marriage ceremony).
Notaries must be United States citizens (though the requirement that a notary public must be a United States citizen is unconstitutional; see Bernal v. Fainter[citation needed]), or aliens lawfully admitted for permanent residence; be able to read and write the English language; be residents of (or employed within) the state of Illinois for at least 30 days; be at least 18 years old; not be convicted of a felony; and not had a notary commission revoked or suspended during the past 10 years.
Illinois law prohibits notaries from using the literal Spanish translation in their title and requires them to use a rubber stamp seal for their notarizations.
To be commissioned as a notary public, an applicant must be at least eighteen years of age, a citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States, be a resident of or have a place of employment or practice in the Kentucky county where the application is made, be able to read and write English and not disqualified under KRS 423.395.
They can prepare inventories, appraisements, partitions, wills, protests, matrimonial contracts, conveyances, and, generally, all contracts and instruments of writing, hold family meetings and meetings of creditors, receive acknowledgments, make affidavits of correction, affix and raise the seals on the effects of a deceased person, and administer oaths.
Because of this, Maine is one of three states (Florida and South Carolina are the others) where a notary public is authorized to perform marriages.
[28] (Maine still has an office called justice of the peace, created in 1989, to receive complaints and perform certain other acts defined by statute.
[30] Maryland notaries public are appointed by the governor, on the recommendation of a state senator, to serve a four-year term.
The official document of appointment is imprinted with the signatures of the governor and the secretary of state as well as the Great Seal of Maryland.
Before exercising the duties of a notary public, an appointee must appear before the clerk of one of Maryland's 24 circuit courts to take an oath of office.
[33] Michigan notaries public are authorized to take acknowledgments, administer oaths or affirmations, and witness or attest to signatures anywhere in the state.
[35] Minnesota notaries public are commissioned by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate for a five-year term.
Citizens and resident aliens over the age of 18 years apply to the secretary of state for appointment and reappointment.
Notaries public have the power to administer all oaths required or authorized to be administered in the state; take and certify all depositions to be used in any of the courts of the state; take and certify all acknowledgments of deeds, mortgages, liens, powers of attorney and other instruments in writing or electronic records; and receive, make out and record notarial protests.
The secretary of state is charged with the responsibility of appointing notaries by the provisions of Chapter 240 of the Nevada Revised Statutes.
[36] New York notaries are empowered to administer oaths and affirmations (including oaths of office), to take affidavits and depositions, to receive and certify acknowledgments or proof of deeds, mortgages and powers of attorney and other instruments in writing; to demand acceptance or payment of foreign and inland bills of exchange, promissory notes and obligations in writing, and to protest these (that is, certify them) for non-acceptance or non-payment.
Admitted attorneys are automatically eligible to be notaries in the State of New York, but must make an application through the proper channels and pay a fee.
Oregon notaries are empowered to administer oaths, jurats and affirmations (including oaths of office), to take affidavits and depositions, to receive and certify acknowledgments or proof of deeds, mortgages and powers of attorney and other instruments in writing; to demand acceptance or payment of foreign and inland bills of exchange, promissory notes and obligations in writing, and to protest these (that is, certify them) for non-acceptance or non-payment.
[37] Oregon law specifically prohibits the use of the term "notario publico"[38] by a notary in advertising his or her services, but translation of the title into other languages is not restricted.
A notary in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is empowered to perform seven distinct official acts: take affidavits, verifications, acknowledgments and depositions, certify copies of documents, administer oaths and affirmations, and protest dishonored negotiable instruments.
South Carolina is one of three states (Florida and Maine are the others) where a notary public can perform a marriage ceremony.
A person must be at least 18 and not convicted of a felony or a crime involving "moral turpitude", must complete all forms and pay all fees required, and must post a $10,000 bond.
The notary public must, in any advertisement, list language substantially stating (in both English and, if applicable, the language in which the advertisement is transmitted): "I AM NOT AN ATTORNEY LICENSED TO PRACTICE LAW IN TEXAS AND MAY NOT GIVE LEGAL ADVICE OR ACCEPT FEES FOR LEGAL ADVICE."