What is an
Acknowledgement?
This type
of notarization is the most common type of notarial act. It is required
on Deeds, Powers of Attorneys and many other types of documents that are
publicly recorded or have “executable” clauses.
The main purpose of the
Acknowledgment is to positively identify you and verify that you signed your
document under your ‘authorized capacity’ – whatever that capacity
is.
You
do not have to sign your document in front of the Notary, but must
‘acknowledge’ that you did sign the document if you
had signed it before going to the notary.
What is a Jurat?
This type of notarization is required when you, the signer, must declare
to the truth of the contents of your document. It is normally used on
Affidavits or possibly when you have to verify & prove specific details in
your document.
The main purpose of a Jurat is to prove that you, the
Signer, told the truth about information in your document under the penalty of
perjury when you had it notarized. You, the Signer, must ‘swear to a
Supreme Being’ or ‘affirm on your personal honor’ that everything in your
document is true and correct. You are required to
sign your document in front of the notary for jurats and required to swear or
affirm on your personal honot by taking an Oath/Affirmation before the
notary verifying the truth of the information in your document.