Florida Notary Acknowledgment: Wording & Free Fillable Certificate
This content is educational and informational, not legal advice. The wording below is the statutory Florida certificate of acknowledgment from section 117.05(13), Florida Statutes; laws change, so confirm the current form with the Florida Department of State. A notary cannot choose which certificate a signer needs, so this tool fills in the standard statutory wording only.
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Fillable Florida acknowledgment certificate
Type the details and the statutory wording updates live. This fills the standard section 117.05 form; it does not choose the notarial act for you. Use Copy to paste it onto a loose certificate, or Print for a clean sheet.
What is the exact Florida acknowledgment wording?
The Florida certificate of acknowledgment follows the form in section 117.05(13), Florida Statutes. The statutory form reads:
State of Florida
County of ______________
The foregoing instrument was acknowledged before me by means of ☐ physical presence or ☐ online notarization, this ______ day of __________, ______ (year), by ____________ (name of person acknowledging).
____________________________________
(Signature of Notary Public – State of Florida)
____________________________________
(Print, Type, or Stamp Commissioned Name of Notary Public)
Personally Known ☐ OR Produced Identification ☐
Type of Identification Produced: ____________
For a signer acting in a representative capacity, the form adds "as [type of authority, e.g. officer, trustee, attorney in fact] for [name of party on whose behalf the instrument was executed]."
What must a Florida acknowledgment include?
Florida law requires several specific notations in the certificate, and missing one is what usually causes a rejection:
| Element | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Venue (State of Florida, County) | The county where the notarization took place |
| Physical presence or online box | Required since 2020; the notary must mark how the signer appeared |
| Type of act ("acknowledged") | The word "acknowledged" shows it is an acknowledgment, not an oath |
| Name of the person acknowledging | Identifies whose signature is being notarized |
| Personally known or produced ID | The notary marks one and lists the type of identification |
| Signature, printed name, and seal | The notary's signature, commissioned name, and official seal |
When do you use an acknowledgment instead of a jurat in Florida?
You use an acknowledgment when the signer is confirming they signed the document voluntarily, not swearing the contents are true. The signer must personally appear, but they do not have to sign in front of the notary for an acknowledgment. Florida's jurat wording, by contrast, begins "Sworn to (or affirmed) and subscribed before me," carries an oath, and requires the signer to sign in the notary's presence. The document or the receiving agency decides which one applies, never the notary.
Can a Florida notary choose the certificate?
No. A Florida notary public cannot decide which notarial act a document needs or advise a signer on the legal effect of choosing one, because that would be the unauthorized practice of law. If a document has no notarial wording, the signer chooses based on what the receiving party requires, and the notary then completes or attaches the matching certificate. Florida law also lets the notary record the act in a way that notes physical presence or online notarization.
What common mistakes void a Florida acknowledgment?
The errors that most often invalidate a Florida acknowledgment are failing to mark the physical-presence or online box, leaving the identification line blank, omitting the county or date, printing a commissioned name that does not match the seal, and an illegible seal. Because the wording is statutory, copy it exactly, which is why the fillable certificate above keeps the language intact.
Florida acknowledgment: frequently asked questions
- Where does the Florida acknowledgment wording come from?
- From section 117.05(13), Florida Statutes, which lists notarial certificates that are sufficient for the purposes indicated. The Department of State publishes matching guidance for notaries.
- Why is there a physical presence or online box?
- Florida added the box in 2020 when online notarization began. The notary must mark whether the signer appeared in physical presence or by audio-video technology under the online notarization rules.
- Do I mark personally known or produced identification?
- Yes. The notary marks one. If the signer produced identification rather than being personally known, the notary writes the type of identification produced on the certificate.
- What if the document has no notarial wording?
- The notary cannot pick the certificate for you. The signer chooses based on what the receiving agency requires, and the notary then completes the correct certificate with the statutory wording.
Published June 13, 2026 by the Trámites Notariales US editorial team. Sources: section 117.05, Florida Statutes (2025 edition, The Florida Senate, flsenate.gov) and the Florida Department of State notary guidance. Confirm the current form on the Florida Department of State website.