Delaware Jurat Certificate: Verification Upon Oath or Affirmation Wording

This content is educational and informational, not legal advice. Requirements reflect title 29, chapter 43 of the Delaware Code, but the law can change. Confirm current requirements with the Delaware Department of State before relying on this.

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Fillable Delaware jurat certificate

Enter the county, the date, and the signer, and the certificate updates live with the Delaware wording. Copy or print it and attach it to your affidavit or sworn statement.

What is the Delaware jurat wording?

Delaware follows the familiar subscribed-and-sworn pattern, with the state and county venue at the top.

What does Delaware call a jurat?

A verification upon oath or affirmation, defined in chapter 43 as a statement by a person who asserts it to be true and makes the assertion upon oath or affirmation. The name describes the act better than the Latin word does: the signer is verifying something, and the oath is what gives that verification weight. Delaware notaries also perform acknowledgments, signature witnessing, and copy certification, and the statute treats each separately. If your document says "subscribed and sworn," you need this act, whatever the heading calls it.

How does Delaware define an affirmation?

As a promise of truthfulness that is a solemn, spoken pledge on one's own personal honor, without reference to a Supreme Being. Most states mention affirmations without ever saying what one is, so Delaware's definition is genuinely useful. Two things follow from it. First, an affirmation is spoken, not silent, so the notary still has to say it aloud and hear the answer. Second, it carries the same legal consequence as an oath, since a false statement made under either exposes the signer to the same liability. Anyone who prefers not to swear can affirm without explanation.

What must a Delaware notary verify?

That the person appearing is the person whose true signature is on the statement verified, determined either from personal knowledge or from satisfactory evidence. Notice how the statute frames it: identity is tied to the signature on the statement, not merely to the person standing in front of you. That is why a jurat cannot be completed on a document someone else signed, and why the signature has to be made in the notary's presence for this act. The equivalent rule for an acknowledgment asks whether the person making the acknowledgment is the one whose true signature is on the instrument.

What must a Delaware notary seal contain?

The notary's name exactly as it appears on the commission, the words "My Commission expires on" followed by the expiration date, and the words "Notary Public" and "State of Delaware." The seal may be an engraved embossed seal or a black inked rubber stamp, and it goes on the document being notarized. Black ink is specified, so a blue pad is not compliant. Because the name has to match the commission exactly, a notary who changes their name needs the commission updated before ordering a new seal.

How long is a Delaware notary commission?

Two years, which is among the shortest terms in the country and a striking contrast with states that commission for a decade. The fee is fifty dollars, and a notary renewing may choose a two-year reappointment for fifty dollars or a four-year reappointment for seventy-five. There is also a three dollar charge per term for use of the Great Seal, which is affixed to the notary commission issued by the Governor. Delaware caps what you can charge as well: the maximum fee for any notarial act is five dollars, and a notary may choose to waive it.

Published June 13, 2026 by the Trámites Notariales US editorial team. Sources: Delaware Code title 29, chapter 43, sections 4306, 4309, 4310, 4321 and 4322 (Delaware General Assembly). Confirm current requirements before relying on this.