Kansas Jurat Certificate Form: Wording, the Affirmation and a Notary-Free Option

This content is educational and informational, not legal advice. Requirements reflect the Kansas Statutes Annotated and the Kansas Notary Public Handbook, but the law can change and K.S.A. 53-601 contains exceptions. Confirm current requirements with the Kansas Secretary of State before relying on this.

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Fillable Kansas jurat certificate

Choose the standard jurat or the penalty-of-perjury alternative, enter the details, and the wording updates live. Print it and attach it to your document; for the jurat, bring the document unsigned.

What is the Kansas jurat wording?

Kansas keeps the traditional subscribed-and-sworn phrasing above the notary's signature and seal.

What is the Kansas affirmation wording?

Kansas actually scripts it, which almost no other state does. The affirmation, used for a person with conscientious objections to swearing an oath, begins "You do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm" and concludes "And this you do under the pains and penalties of perjury." The language is deliberately archaic, and its closing phrase does the important work: an affirmation carries exactly the same exposure to perjury as an oath. Offer it to anyone who hesitates at the word "swear," without asking why.

Can you skip the notary in Kansas?

Sometimes, and this is the most useful thing on this page. Under K.S.A. 53-601, Kansas allows a signature under penalty of perjury in place of a notarized, sworn statement. Where an affidavit or verification is required, the person can add a certifying statement above their signature instead of appearing before a notary and swearing. The statute contains exceptions, so it does not fit every document, and a notary should read it before recommending the route. When it does apply, it saves a trip.

What wording does the penalty of perjury option use?

The statute prescribes it, and the version depends on where you sign. If the statement is executed outside Kansas, the wording is "I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the state of Kansas that the foregoing is true and correct." If executed inside the state, a shorter form declaring under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct applies. The statement goes immediately before the signature. Using the wrong variant, or paraphrasing it, undercuts the whole point of the section.

What must a Kansas notarial certificate show?

The Kansas handbook defines the notarial block as the statement appearing at the end of a document, completed and signed by the notary, which indicates the venue, the type of notarization required, and the name of the person signing. The type has to be identifiable as an acknowledgment, a verification, or a witnessing, because those are distinct acts with distinct consequences. A block that names no act, or names the wrong one, is the defect that sends documents back. Fill it in completely before signing and sealing.

How does a Kansas jurat differ from an acknowledgment?

By the oath and by the timing of the signature. A jurat, which Kansas also calls a verification, requires you to sign in front of the notary and swear or affirm that the contents are true. An acknowledgment only asks you to confirm that the signature is yours, so the document may already be signed. Choosing between them is not the notary's decision; it belongs to you or to whoever is going to receive the document. When the block on the page says "subscribed and sworn," you are in jurat territory.

Published June 13, 2026 by the Trámites Notariales US editorial team. Sources: Kansas Statutes Annotated 53-601; the Kansas Notary Public Handbook, including its glossary and helpful hints for notaries public. Confirm current requirements and the exceptions in K.S.A. 53-601 before relying on this.