A Connecticut notary block must contain three things: the notary’s official signature written exactly as it appears on the certificate of appointment, the words “Notary Public,” and the commission expiration date. Connecticut does not require a seal or stamp, but if you choose to use one, the law dictates exactly what it must contain. The certificate wording itself changes depending on whether you are performing an acknowledgment, a jurat, or a remote notarization.
The Three Required Elements
Every notarial certificate in Connecticut must display the notary’s signature as it appears on the certificate of appointment.1Justia. Connecticut Code Title 3 Chapter 33 – Sec 3-94i Notarys Signature Near that signature, the block must also show the words “Notary Public” and the commission expiration date.
If you do not use a seal or stamp, you must type or legibly print “Notary Public” and “My commission expires [date]” near your signature. Those two phrases are not decoration. They are the statutory substitute for a seal, and omitting either one leaves the block incomplete.2Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 33 – Secretary
If You Use a Seal or Stamp
Connecticut is unusual among states in that notaries are not required to obtain or use a seal or rubber stamp.3State of Connecticut. Connecticut Notary Public Manual Many notaries use one anyway because banks, title companies, and courts in other states often expect to see one.
When a seal is used, it must contain three things:
- The notary’s name exactly as it appears on the certificate of appointment
- The words “Notary Public” and “Connecticut”
- The phrase “My commission expires” followed by the expiration date
You can put the commission expiration on a separate rubber stamp rather than embedding it in the seal itself.2Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 33 – Secretary Either way, every one of those elements has to be legible on the finished document. A worn seal that produces a partial impression gives the receiving party a reason to reject the notarization even though the seal was voluntary to begin with. Inspect it periodically and replace it when the impression starts to fade.
Certificate Wording by Act Type
The core elements above sit inside a certificate whose wording depends on which notarial act you performed. Using an acknowledgment certificate on a document that calls for a jurat, or the reverse, is one of the most common errors that invalidates a notarization.
Acknowledgment
An acknowledgment certificate for an individual typically opens with the state and county, states that the signer personally appeared before the notary on a given date, confirms that the signer was identified by personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence, and records that the signer acknowledged executing the document for its stated purpose. The signer does not have to sign in front of you for an acknowledgment, as long as they appear and acknowledge that the signature is theirs.3State of Connecticut. Connecticut Notary Public Manual
Jurat
A jurat uses much shorter language: “Subscribed and sworn to before me this [date],” followed by the notary’s signature and commission expiration. The jurat requires two things to happen in your presence: the signer must sign the document, and the signer must take an oath or affirmation that its contents are truthful. Writing “Subscribed and sworn” without having actually administered the oath makes the jurat false on its face.
Copy Certification
You can also certify that a copy of an original document is accurate. Connecticut limits which documents can be copy-certified, and vital records such as birth, death, and marriage certificates generally cannot be certified by a notary.
Whichever certificate you use, the signer’s identity has to be verified first, either through personal knowledge or through satisfactory evidence. Satisfactory evidence usually means a current, unexpired government-issued ID with the person’s photograph, name, and signature, such as a driver’s license or passport.
Remote Notarization: What Changes in the Block
Connecticut authorized remote online notarization through Public Act 23-28, effective October 1, 2023.4Office of the Secretary of the State. Notary Public Licensing The block on a remotely notarized document carries one important change: it must indicate that the signer appeared by communication technology rather than in person.
The Connecticut Notary Public Manual recommends substituting “appeared by means of communication technology” for “personally appeared” and noting the specific platform used in the certificate.3State of Connecticut. Connecticut Notary Public Manual The three statutory elements of the block (signature, “Notary Public,” commission expiration) still apply, as do the seal rules if a seal is used electronically.
Identity verification during a remote notarization must use at least one of the following methods:5Justia. Connecticut Code Title 3 Chapter 33 – Section 3-95b Requirements and Procedure Re Use of Remote Notarization
- Personal knowledge of the signer
- An unexpired government-issued ID with photograph, name, and signature
- At least two different types of identity proofing through a third-party service that verifies identity against public or private data sources
- A credible witness who personally knows the signer and is either physically present with the notary or signer or connected by audio-visual communication
Which method you used does not have to appear in the block itself, but the certificate must still reflect that the appearance was by communication technology.
Mistakes That Invalidate the Block
Most problems with Connecticut notary blocks come from a short list of recurring errors.
Signing with a name that differs from the certificate of appointment is a direct violation of the signature rule. Use the same version of your name consistently.1Justia. Connecticut Code Title 3 Chapter 33 – Sec 3-94i Notarys Signature
Omitting the commission expiration date is a frequent and avoidable error. If you are not using a seal that contains the date, you must type or print “My commission expires [date]” near your signature.2Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 33 – Secretary
Using the wrong certificate for the act you actually performed is the error most likely to be caught later. If the document needed a jurat and you filled in an acknowledgment certificate, the receiving party may reject it and a court may treat the oath as never administered. Match the certificate language to what actually happened in front of you.
Notarizing a document you yourself have signed is prohibited outright. A notary is disqualified from performing a notarial act if the notary is a signatory on the document being notarized.6Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 33 – Secretary No block, however carefully constructed, can cure that defect. The same caution applies when a family member or a document you helped prepare is in front of you: if you have a personal interest, decline the notarization.