Arizona Jurat Certificate Form: Wording, Blank Spaces and the Expiration Rule

This content is educational and informational, not legal advice. Requirements reflect Arizona Revised Statutes title 41 and the Arizona Notary Public Reference Manual, but the law can change. Confirm current requirements with the Arizona Secretary of State before relying on this.

Open the free fillable certificate ↓

Fillable Arizona jurat certificate

Enter the details and the certificate updates live with the Arizona wording, including the expiration line the statute requires inside the certificate. The checklist below the form flags the blank-space rule before you get to the appointment.

What is the Arizona jurat wording?

Arizona uses the traditional phrasing, and the key words are "subscribed and sworn," which signal a jurat rather than an acknowledgment.

Can an Arizona jurat be done on a document with blank spaces?

No. Arizona is explicit that because the signer is swearing or affirming that the information is true, there can be no blank spaces on the document. A jurat performed on an incomplete document is improper, and the notary is expected to refuse it. Acknowledgments carry no such statutory limitation, although the Secretary of State's office still recommends that a notary not notarize a document with obvious blanks. The fix is simple: complete every field before the appointment, or draw a line through the ones that do not apply.

Is "My Commission Expires" on the stamp enough in Arizona?

No, and this is the requirement that surprises experienced notaries. As of July 2022, under A.R.S. 41-264, the notarial certificate must include the words "My Commission Expires ______", and having those words on the notary stamp is not sufficient. The line has to be part of the certificate text, typed or written, with the date filled in. A certificate that leans on the stamp alone is incomplete even though the information is technically visible on the page.

What makes an Arizona notarization incomplete?

Three omissions, any one of which is enough. A notary who does not place the seal on a document has performed an incomplete notarization, because Arizona requires the seal on each act. A notary who notarizes a document with no notarial language, whether jurat, acknowledgment, or copy certification, has done the same. And a certificate missing the venue, meaning the state and county where the act took place, is likewise defective. None of these are cosmetic; each leaves the document open to rejection.

What notarial acts can an Arizona notary perform?

Four, and they are listed in A.R.S. 41-313: acknowledgments, jurats, copy certifications, and oaths or affirmations. A jurat in Arizona is defined as an act in which the notary certifies that a signer, whose identity is personally known or proven by satisfactory evidence, has made a voluntary signature in the notary's presence and has taken an oath or affirmation vouching for the truthfulness of the signed document. Some states call the resulting document an affidavit. Copies of vital records such as birth, death, and marriage certificates cannot be certified by an Arizona notary.

Does Arizona require a notary journal?

Yes. Arizona notaries must keep a journal of all their official acts, alongside a seal imprinted with five specific items, and must authenticate every official act with that seal. The journal is not optional record-keeping; it is a duty under the same chapter that grants the powers. Arizona also expects notaries to keep the Secretary of State informed: relocate without notifying the office within thirty days and you can be assessed a twenty-five dollar civil penalty.

Published June 13, 2026 by the Trámites Notariales US editorial team. Sources: Arizona Revised Statutes 41-264, 41-311, 41-312 and 41-313; the Arizona Notary Public Reference Manual, Office of the Secretary of State. Confirm current requirements before relying on this.