Alabama Jurat Certificate Form: Wording and the Oath-Plus-Acknowledgment Rule
This content is educational and informational, not legal advice. Requirements reflect the Code of Alabama section 36-20-72 and related notary provisions, but the law can change. Confirm the current rules with the Alabama Secretary of State or your probate judge before relying on this.
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Fillable Alabama jurat certificate
Tell the tool whether the document will be recorded, enter the details, and the certificate updates live. For a recordable instrument it renders the combined oath and acknowledgment wording Alabama requires; for everything else it renders the plain jurat.
What is the Alabama jurat wording?
Alabama's customary jurat is short, opening with the state and county venue and closing with the notary's signature and seal.
State of Alabama
County of ______
Sworn to and subscribed before me on the ______ day of ____________, 20____, by ____________ (name of principal signer).
Notary Public
(Seal: name, office, State of Alabama)
My commission expires: ______
Does an Alabama recordable document need both an oath and an acknowledgment?
Yes. Section 36-20-72 provides that the form and content of any notarial act on an instrument to be recorded in the public records, including the court system, shall include an oath, an acknowledgment, and the signature of each party to the document, along with the notary's signature and seal by ink stamp or embossed impression. Alabama is unusual in demanding both acts on the same certificate; Ohio, by contrast, forbids using one certificate when the other act was performed. If your Alabama document is heading for the probate office or a court file, a bare jurat is not enough on its own.
Do pre-printed Alabama forms comply with that rule?
Often not, and that is where the problem shows up in practice. The requirement arrived with the 2023 amendments to Alabama's notary law, effective September 1, 2023, and stacks of forms in circulation predate it. Deeds, leases, bills of sale, agreements, powers of attorney, and even notary bonds commonly carry a single notarial block that was perfectly correct before. Check the printed certificate against the rule before the appointment rather than at the recording counter.
| Document | What Alabama expects |
|---|---|
| Affidavit not being recorded | Jurat alone: the oath and the signature in the notary's presence |
| Deed, mortgage or lease to be recorded | Oath and acknowledgment, plus each party's signature |
| Document filed with a court | Treated as public records, so the same combined requirement applies |
| Any of the above | Notary's signature and seal by ink stamp or embossed impression |
Does the signer have to appear in person in Alabama?
Yes, and Alabama states it firmly: apart from remote notarization performed under section 36-20-73.1, a signature acknowledged by a notary must be executed within Alabama with the notary physically present at the time. Identification is equally prescribed, by examining a government-issued photo identification or through the notary's own personal knowledge of the signer. For a jurat that presence requirement bites twice, since the signer must both appear and sign in front of the notary, then take the oath aloud.
Who commissions notaries in Alabama?
The probate judge of the county, which surprises people used to a Secretary of State running the show. The seal has to present, by impression or stamp, the notary's name, the office, and the state for which they were appointed. Alabama also maintains a separate and much rarer category, the civil-law notary, open only to attorneys admitted in the state who have practiced for at least five years, and those notaries can execute authentic acts. An ordinary Alabama notary public cannot.
What happens if an Alabama notary breaks the rules?
Alabama routes complaints through law enforcement rather than an administrative slap. A party to the transaction, or an attorney involved in it, submits an affidavit alleging the violation to the Secretary of State or to the probate judge who commissioned the notary. That office forwards the affidavit to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which investigates alone or with local law enforcement, and founded investigations are referred to the appropriate district attorney for prosecution. Notarizing without the principal appearing in person is one of the acts that triggers this chain.
Alabama jurat: frequently asked questions
- What is the Alabama jurat wording?
- "State of Alabama, County of ______. Sworn to and subscribed before me on the ______ day of ______, 20____, by" the named signer, followed by the notary's signature and seal.
- Does an Alabama recordable document need both an oath and an acknowledgment?
- Yes. Section 36-20-72 requires a notarial act on an instrument to be recorded in public records, including the court system, to include an oath, an acknowledgment and each party's signature.
- Do pre-printed Alabama forms comply with that rule?
- Often not. Deeds, leases, bills of sale, powers of attorney and notary bonds printed before the change may carry only one act, so the certificate has to be corrected.
- Who commissions notaries in Alabama?
- The probate judge of the county, not the Secretary of State. The seal must show the notary's name, office and the state of appointment.
- What happens if an Alabama notary breaks the rules?
- A party or attorney files an affidavit with the Secretary of State or the probate judge, who forwards it to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and founded cases go to a district attorney.
Published June 13, 2026 by the Trámites Notariales US editorial team. Sources: Code of Alabama sections 36-20-72 and 36-20-73.1, and Act 2023-548 amending the notary law effective September 1, 2023; the Alabama Secretary of State civil-law notary handbook. Confirm current requirements before relying on this.