New Jersey Jurat Certificate: Wording, Printed Names and the Under Oath Confusion
This content is educational and informational, not legal advice. Requirements reflect the New Jersey Notary Public Act, P.L. 2021 c.179, at N.J.S.A. 52:7-10 et seq., but the law can change. Confirm current requirements with the New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services before relying on this.
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Fillable New Jersey jurat certificate
Enter the county, the date, the signer, and your own printed name. The tool builds the certificate with the printed-name lines New Jersey requires under each signature, which is the detail most templates leave out.
What is the New Jersey jurat wording?
The short form is compact; the printed names beneath the signatures are what makes it a New Jersey certificate.
State of New Jersey
County of ______
Signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on ____________ (date) by ____________ (name(s) of individual(s)).
(Signature of notary public)
____________ (printed name)
Notary Public, State of New Jersey
My commission expires: ______
Why does a New Jersey acknowledgment mention an oath?
Because New Jersey's traditional acknowledgment wording is a hybrid that survives on deeds and mortgages. It has the signer acknowledge "under oath, to my satisfaction" that the person is named in and personally signed the document, and that they signed, sealed, and delivered it as their act and deed. Seeing "under oath" on an acknowledgment leads New Jersey signers to assume every notarization involves swearing, which it does not. Only a jurat requires the oath in substance, and only a jurat requires you to sign in front of the notary. If your document says "acknowledged," you are not swearing to its contents, whatever the older phrasing suggests.
| Jurat | Traditional NJ acknowledgment | |
|---|---|---|
| Key phrase | "Signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me" | "acknowledged under oath, to my satisfaction" |
| Sign in front of the notary? | Yes, required | No, the document may be pre-signed |
| Swearing to the contents? | Yes | No, only to the signature and capacity |
| Typically seen on | Affidavits and sworn statements | Deeds, mortgages and title documents |
Must names be printed on a New Jersey certificate?
Yes, and this is the requirement that most often turns an otherwise correct certificate into a defective one. The name of every person signing must be printed or typed beneath the signature, and that includes the notary's own name, so the receiving office can read it. A signature plus a stamp is not enough. The rule applies to the signer as well, which is why New Jersey certificates place a printed name under each signature line rather than only under the notary's. Add the line even when the stamp already carries your name.
Who commissions notaries in New Jersey?
The State Treasurer, through the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, rather than a Secretary of State, which surprises notaries moving in from other states. The commission runs five years. After approval, a new notary is sworn in before the county clerk of their county before performing any notarial act, and pays that county's qualification fee. Since the 2021 Notary Public Act, applicants must also pass an examination. A notary may act throughout the state and should renew before the commission expires rather than reapplying from the start.
What changed with the 2021 Notary Public Act?
New Jersey replaced a patchwork of older provisions with a single modern statute, P.L. 2021 c.179, at N.J.S.A. 52:7-10 and following. The Act brought in short-form certificates of the kind most states now use, an examination requirement, and rules for electronic and remote notarization. What it did not do is abolish the older wording: the traditional acknowledgment remains valid and remains what county clerks and title companies expect on real estate documents. So New Jersey now runs two vocabularies side by side, and the safe rule is to complete whichever certificate is already printed on your document rather than substituting the one you prefer.
How do you prepare for a New Jersey jurat appointment?
Bring the document unsigned, bring photo identification, and read the document to the end before you go. A jurat requires you to sign in the notary's presence and then swear or affirm that the contents are true, so a page signed at the kitchen table has to be signed again. Fill in every blank in the document itself beforehand, leaving only the signature line empty. Expect the notary to ask you a question aloud and to wait for your answer; that exchange is the oath, and without it there is no jurat.
New Jersey jurat: frequently asked questions
- What is the New Jersey jurat wording?
- "Signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on" the date "by" the named individual, under the short forms in N.J.S.A. 52:7-19, with printed names beneath the signatures.
- Why does a New Jersey acknowledgment mention an oath?
- The older traditional wording has the signer acknowledge "under oath, to my satisfaction." It is a New Jersey quirk on deeds, and it is not the same act as a jurat.
- Must names be printed on a New Jersey certificate?
- Yes. The name of each person signing must be printed or typed beneath the signature, including the notary's own name, so the office can read it clearly.
- Who commissions notaries in New Jersey?
- The State Treasurer, through the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services. New notaries are then sworn in before their county clerk before performing any act.
- Does New Jersey require a notary exam?
- Yes, since the 2021 Notary Public Act. The commission runs five years and the applicant must pass an examination before being commissioned.
Published June 13, 2026 by the Trámites Notariales US editorial team. Sources: New Jersey Notary Public Act, P.L. 2021 c.179 (N.J.S.A. 52:7-10 et seq. and 52:7-19); N.J.S.A. 46:14-2.1; the New Jersey Notary Public Manual, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services. Confirm current requirements before relying on this.