The notarial Jurat is a certificate attached to a sworn statement (Affidavit, Verification of Oath) by a notary public. The Jurat certificate indicates the time and location a document was notarized and the name and signature of the notary public in whose presence the oath was taken and the document was signed, and includes the following disclaimer verbiage required by the State of California:

“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 Jurat verifies that the signer has sworn that the contents of a document are true either by oath or by affirmation. The notary public will need to see the signer in person, see an acceptable form of identification, ask the signer to take an oath or to swear that the contents are true, and witness the signer sign the document.

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