Florida requires a jurat whenever a document asks the signer to swear or affirm that its contents are true. That is the rule behind Florida’s jurat requirements: if the notary block says “sworn to (or affirmed) and subscribed before me,” you need a jurat, and the signer must appear before a Florida notary, take an oath, and sign the document in the notary’s presence. Picking the wrong notarial act — an acknowledgment when a jurat was called for — can invalidate the notarization and cause a court or agency to reject the document.
When a Florida Document Needs a Jurat Instead of an Acknowledgment
A jurat and an acknowledgment are two different notarial acts under Florida Statutes Chapter 117, and they are not interchangeable.1The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes Chapter 117 – Notaries Public With a jurat, you swear or affirm that the document’s contents are truthful and sign in front of the notary. With an acknowledgment, you confirm that you signed voluntarily — you don’t vouch for the accuracy of the contents, and you don’t have to sign in the notary’s presence.
The giveaway is in the notary block at the bottom of the document. “Sworn and subscribed before me” means jurat. “Acknowledged before me” means acknowledgment. Read that language before you head to the notary.
Documents that typically require a jurat include:
- Affidavits of any kind, which are by definition sworn statements of fact
- Sworn motions, verified pleadings, and certain petitions in family law and civil litigation
- Sworn financial affidavits in divorce proceedings and loan applications requiring verification under oath
- Certain state licensing applications, permit requests, and sworn statements submitted to regulatory agencies
Deeds, powers of attorney, and most contracts use acknowledgments instead, because the point is to confirm identity and willingness rather than the truth of the contents. If the notarization type is wrong, courts, agencies, and recording offices can reject the document and send you back to redo it.
What the Jurat Certificate Must Contain
Florida law prescribes the form of the jurat certificate under Section 117.05(13)(a).2The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 117.05 – Use of Notary Commission The certificate must be “in substantially the same form” as the statutory template, which allows minor wording flexibility but not missing elements. A compliant certificate includes:
- The venue: State of Florida and the county where the notarization takes place
- The certification language “Sworn to (or affirmed) and subscribed before me”
- A checkbox indicating whether the signer appeared by physical presence or online notarization
- The day, month, and year of notarization
- The full name of the person making the statement
- The notary’s signature, printed name, and official seal
- Whether the signer was personally known to the notary or produced identification, and if so, the type of ID
The physical-presence-versus-online checkbox has been part of the required form since January 1, 2020.3Florida Department of State. Sample Notarial Statements as of January 1, 2020 A certificate that leaves it off doesn’t match the statutory form and is open to challenge.
How the Signing Has to Happen
The sequence matters. Jurats fail most often because people do the steps in the wrong order.
Appear Before the Notary With Valid ID
You must personally appear before a Florida notary, in person or through authorized remote online notarization. Bring identification that is current or was issued within the past five years and that includes a serial or identifying number. Florida accepts a Florida driver’s license or state ID card, a U.S. passport, or a foreign passport stamped by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, among other qualifying government-issued photo IDs with a serial number.2The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 117.05 – Use of Notary Commission IDs that fall outside the five-year window will be rejected. If the notary personally knows you, ID may not be required, but the certificate must say so.
Take the Oath or Affirmation, Then Sign
After checking your ID, the notary administers an oath or an affirmation. An oath typically invokes a higher authority (“Do you swear that the statements in this document are true?”); an affirmation is a secular equivalent (“Do you affirm that the statements in this document are true?”). Both carry the same legal weight. You pick whichever you prefer.
Do not sign the document before you get to the notary. A jurat requires you to sign after taking the oath, in the notary’s presence. This is the single most common mistake. If you have already signed, the notary cannot properly complete the jurat, and you will need a clean copy or a fresh signature line.
Remote Online Jurats
Florida permits jurats by remote online notarization, where you and the notary meet over live audio-video rather than in person. The notary must be registered with the state as an online notary.4The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 117.265 – Online Notarization Procedures
Identity verification for an online jurat has three layers: on-camera review of your government-issued ID, a credential analysis of that ID, and knowledge-based authentication (questions pulled from your personal history that only you should be able to answer). If any step fails, the notary cannot proceed. The notary must record and retain the entire audio-video session. The jurat certificate is the same as an in-person one except that the “online notarization” box is checked instead of “physical presence.”3Florida Department of State. Sample Notarial Statements as of January 1, 2020
What a Jurat Costs
Florida caps notary fees at $10 per notarial act for a standard in-person notarization.2The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 117.05 – Use of Notary Commission The limit is per signature, so a document with two signers who each need a jurat can run up to $20. Remote online notarizations may carry a different fee structure under Section 117.275, and mobile notaries typically add a travel fee on top of the statutory notarization charge. Banks, libraries, and shipping stores often provide notary services at or below the statutory maximum.
When a Florida Notary Cannot Perform Your Jurat
Section 117.107 bars a notary from performing any notarial act, including a jurat, on a document in which the notary has a financial interest or is a party to the underlying transaction.5Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 117.107 – Prohibited Acts A real estate agent who will earn a commission from a sale cannot notarize the closing documents for that same deal.
Two narrow exceptions exist. An employee may notarize documents for their employer so long as the employee gets nothing beyond regular salary and the statutory notary fee. An attorney who serves as notary for a client may notarize documents in that representation as long as the attorney has no interest beyond legal fees and the notary fee. Any other financial stake disqualifies the notary.
Making a false certificate as a notary — including falsely taking an acknowledgment or jurat — is a third-degree felony under Section 117.105, on top of possible commission suspension or revocation and civil liability to anyone harmed.6The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 117.105 – False or Fraudulent Acknowledgments; Penalty
What a False Statement Under a Jurat Can Cost You
The oath isn’t a formality. Once you swear or affirm that a document’s contents are true and sign it in front of the notary, a knowingly false statement can be prosecuted as perjury.
Florida separates perjury by setting. Perjury in an official proceeding — a false affidavit filed with a court, for example — is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.7The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 837.02 – Perjury in Official Proceedings Perjury when the sworn statement is not part of an official proceeding is a first-degree misdemeanor, carrying up to one year in jail.8The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 837.012 – Perjury When Not in an Official Proceeding Either way, the false statement has to concern a material matter — something relevant to the purpose of the document, not a trivial detail.
Federal penalties can stack on state ones. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1621, perjury in a federal context carries up to five years in prison.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 1621 – Perjury Generally A false sworn statement on a federal immigration form or a tax affidavit can trigger federal prosecution regardless of where the jurat was performed.
Using a Florida Jurat in Another State
A document notarized with a jurat in Florida is generally accepted in other states. Most states evaluate a notarization’s validity under the law of the state where it was performed, so a jurat that complied with Florida law when executed should be honored elsewhere.
The receiving state’s requirements for the underlying document are a separate question. Another state’s court may accept the Florida jurat form itself but still reject an affidavit that doesn’t meet that state’s content rules. When you know a document is heading out of state, confirm with the receiving party whether the Florida jurat language suffices or whether additional wording is needed.