To complete a California notary jurat form, download the certificate from the Secretary of State’s website at sos.ca.gov/notary/jurats, bring your unsigned document and a valid photo ID to a notary public, swear or affirm in person that the contents are true, and sign the document while the notary watches. The notary then fills in the certificate, applies the official seal, and charges no more than $15.1California Secretary of State. Jurats
Is a Jurat the Right Certificate for Your Document?
California recognizes two main notarial certificates, and using the wrong one can get your document rejected. A jurat is required when you need to swear that the contents of a document are true. Affidavits, sworn declarations, and affidavits of death affecting real property are the usual examples. An acknowledgment is different: it only confirms that the person who signed is who they claim to be, and says nothing about the truth of what the document says.
The document itself usually tells you which to use. Phrases like “subscribed and sworn to” or “under penalty of perjury” signal a jurat. “Acknowledged before me” signals an acknowledgment. When the document is silent, the requesting party or receiving court decides. The notary cannot choose for you.
Where to Get the Form
Government Code section 8202 sets the exact wording of a California jurat, and the Secretary of State publishes a downloadable PDF that matches the statute word for word.2California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 8202 – Notaries Public Pre-printed certificates from notary supply companies are also acceptable, but the language must match section 8202(d) exactly. If the certificate is on a separate sheet rather than printed on the document itself, the notary attaches it before completing the act.
The form has four mandatory parts:
- A boxed consumer notice at the top stating that the notary verifies only the identity of the signer, not the truthfulness, accuracy, or validity of the document.
- A venue line reading “State of California” with a blank for the county where the act takes place.
- A statement that the signer subscribed and swore to (or affirmed) the document before the notary on a specific date, identified through satisfactory evidence.
- Spaces for the notary’s signature and seal impression.
What ID to Bring
California Civil Code section 1185 lists the identification a notary can accept. Anything outside the list is refused, no matter how official it looks.3California Legislative Information. California Code CIV 1185 – Proof and Acknowledgment of Instruments
Three documents are accepted on their own, as long as they’re current or were issued within the last five years:
- California driver’s license or ID card from the DMV
- U.S. passport
- Inmate ID issued by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation or a sheriff’s department
A second tier is also accepted if the document is current or issued within five years and carries a photo, physical description, signature, and serial or identifying number:
- Foreign passport from your country of citizenship
- Consular identification document
- Out-of-state driver’s license, or one from a Canadian or Mexican public agency
- Out-of-state ID card
- U.S. military ID
- California state, city, or county employee ID
- Tribal government ID from a federally recognized tribe
A foreign passport does not need a stamp from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. That’s a common misconception. Any valid passport from the signer’s country of citizenship works if it meets the photo, signature, and serial number requirements.
Prepare the Document Before the Appointment
Fill in every blank on the document, but do not sign it. A jurat requires the notary to watch you sign, so signing in advance forces the notary to refuse. The document itself must also be complete when you arrive. A notary cannot notarize a partially blank document without noting the incomplete sections.
At the appointment, the notary fills in the county, the date, and your name as it appears on your ID. The name on the certificate must match your identification exactly. If the document uses a different name, the notary may note both, but the ID name controls.
The Signing Ceremony
This is what separates a jurat from other notarial acts. You take an oath or affirmation in the notary’s physical presence, then sign while the notary watches. Skipping or shortening either part invalidates the jurat.
The notary administers the oath with a question along the lines of “Do you swear or affirm that the statements in this document are true?” There is no single mandatory script, but the question must clearly ask whether you are swearing to the document’s truthfulness.4California Secretary of State. California Notary News You answer out loud. A nod is not enough. By saying yes, you place yourself under penalty of perjury for any false statements in the document.
You must be physically present. A video call, email exchange, or mailed document does not satisfy the in-person requirement.5California Secretary of State. 2026 California Notary Public Handbook Senate Bill 696 authorizes remote online notarization in California, but implementation is not scheduled before January 1, 2030, and depends on the Secretary of State completing a required technology platform. Until then, every jurat happens face to face.
Fee, Seal, and Journal
The most a notary can charge for the oath and the completed jurat, including the seal, is $15 per person.6California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 8211 – Notaries Public The cap is set by statute and applies whether you visit the notary’s office, a UPS store, or a bank branch. If several people each need a jurat on the same document, the notary charges $15 per person. Mobile notaries who travel to you may add a separate travel fee, which is not covered by the statute.
After you sign and the notary signs the certificate, the notary applies the official seal. The impression must be photographically reproducible; a faint seal can get the document rejected by the receiving party.7California Secretary of State. Procedures and Guidelines for the Issuance of Notary Public Seals
The notary also records the act in a sequential journal, noting the date, time, type of act, a description of the document, how your identity was verified, and the fee charged. You sign the journal entry.8California Legislative Information. California Government Code 8206 A thumbprint in the journal is required only for certain real-property documents, such as deeds, quitclaim deeds, and deeds of trust, and for powers of attorney. For a standard affidavit or sworn declaration, the notary will not ask for your thumbprint.
What You Are Swearing To
The oath is what gives a jurat its weight. Saying yes puts you under penalty of perjury for the document’s contents. Federal perjury law carries a fine and up to five years in prison.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 1621 – Perjury Generally If the sworn document goes to a federal agency, 18 U.S.C. ยง 1001 adds a separate crime for knowingly providing false information in any matter within federal jurisdiction, also carrying up to five years.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 1001 – Statements or Entries Generally California Penal Code section 118 carries state-level perjury penalties.
If You Are in the Military or Overseas
Active-duty service members and their dependents don’t need a civilian notary. Federal law authorizes judge advocates, legal assistance attorneys, adjutants, and certain other designated military personnel to perform notarial acts, including administering oaths, for service members, eligible dependents, and people serving with or employed by the armed forces overseas.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 U.S.C. 1044a – Authority to Act as Notary No fee can be charged. A jurat completed by an authorized military official carries the same legal weight for California purposes as one performed by a commissioned California notary, and the official’s signature and title serve as presumptive evidence of authority.