California Jurat Certificate Form: Wording, Boxed Notice and the Oath

This content is educational and informational, not legal advice. The wording reflects California Government Code section 8202, but the law can change. Confirm the current form with the California Secretary of State before relying on it.

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Fillable California jurat certificate

Enter the county, the date, and the signer, and the certificate updates live with the statutory California wording and the enclosed notice. Print it and attach it to the affidavit; the notary completes and signs after the oath.

What is the California jurat wording?

California's form under Government Code 8202 combines the boxed notice, the venue, the sworn sentence, and the identification language in one block.

Does a California jurat need the boxed notice?

Yes, and it is not optional formatting. Section 8202 provides that to any affidavit subscribed and sworn to before a notary there shall be attached a jurat that includes a notice at the top, in an enclosed box, stating that the officer completing the certificate verifies only the identity of the individual who signed the document, and not its truthfulness, accuracy, or validity. The statute adds that the notice shall be legible. California introduced this device, and other states have since borrowed the idea, but here it is a statutory element of the certificate rather than a courtesy.

Can a California notary jurat a document sent by mail?

No. It is not acceptable to affix a jurat to a document mailed or otherwise delivered to a notary where the signer did not personally appear, take an oath, and sign in the notary's presence. This is the single most common improper request California notaries receive, usually from someone who assumes a jurat works like an acknowledgment on a pre-signed page. All three elements have to happen in front of you: the appearance, the oath, and the signature. It is equally unacceptable to affix a notary seal and signature to a document that carries no notarial wording at all.

What oath does a California notary say?

There is no prescribed wording, which surprises notaries who expect a script. An acceptable oath is "Do you swear or affirm that the statements in this document are true?" and the signer answers. Tradition has both the notary and the signer raise their right hand, but that gesture is not a legal requirement in California. What is required is that the oath actually be administered aloud and answered, since the whole purpose of the jurat is to compel truthfulness in the signer. Offer the affirmation to anyone who prefers not to swear; it carries the same weight.

When is the California jurat completed?

In its entirety before the notary's signature and seal are affixed, exactly as with an acknowledgment certificate. Leaving blanks and sealing anyway hands a signed instrument of authority to whoever holds the page next. The certificate records that the signer personally appeared before the notary on the date indicated and in the county indicated, so both of those details have to be true and filled in. If the notarization happens in Los Angeles County, that is the county on the certificate, whatever county the document or the signer belongs to.

How is a California jurat different from an acknowledgment?

The key wording tells you which one you are holding: a jurat says "subscribed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me," while an acknowledgment says "acknowledged before me." A jurat demands the oath and the signature in your presence; an all-purpose acknowledgment under Civil Code 1189 does not require either, since the document may already be signed. The method of proving the signer's identity is the same for both. The choice belongs to the signer or the agency requesting the document, not to the notary.

Published June 13, 2026 by the Trámites Notariales US editorial team. Sources: California Government Code section 8202 and Civil Code section 1189; California notary public training material on jurats and oaths. Confirm current wording before relying on it.