How to Complete a Florida Jurat: Requirements, Costs, and Penalties

A Florida jurat is a notarial certificate attached to a document when you swear or affirm, out loud and in the notary’s presence, that the contents are true. That spoken oath is the whole point of a jurat and the single feature that separates it from an acknowledgment, where you only confirm your identity and willingness to sign. Get the oath, the identification, and the certificate language right, and the document will be accepted. Miss any of them and a clerk can reject it.

What Has to Appear on the Certificate

Florida Statutes §117.05(13)(a) sets out a standard jurat form. A notary’s certificate must match it in substance, with minor wording variations allowed as long as the certificate is “substantially the same.”¹ The statutory language reads:

STATE OF FLORIDA
COUNTY OF ________

Sworn to (or affirmed) and subscribed before me by means of [ ] physical presence or [ ] online notarization, this ___ day of ______, (year), by (name of person making statement).

(Signature of Notary Public – State of Florida)
(Print, Type, or Stamp Commissioned Name of Notary Public)
Personally Known ___ OR Produced Identification ___
Type of Identification Produced ___²

Nine specific elements must appear on the finished certificate: the venue (state and county); the type of act (sworn, for a jurat); the method of appearance (physical presence or online); the exact date; your full name; how the notary identified you and which ID was used; the notary’s signature; the notary’s printed, typed, or stamped commissioned name; and the notary’s seal.¹

Venue is the element people most often get wrong. It must reflect where the notary is physically located when the notarization happens, not where you live or where the document will be filed.

Identification You Can Bring

Unless the notary personally knows you, you need to show one current government-issued ID with a serial or identifying number. An ID that expired within the past five years still qualifies. Under §117.05(5)(b), acceptable documents include:³

A Florida driver license or state ID card.
A U.S. passport.
A foreign passport stamped by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
A driver license or ID card from another U.S. state or territory, Canada, or Mexico.
A U.S. military ID card.
A veteran health identification card from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
A Florida inmate ID card issued on or after January 1, 1991.
A federal inmate ID card from the Bureau of Prisons.
A USCIS identification card.

If you don’t have any of these, there is a fallback. One credible witness the notary personally knows, or two credible witnesses whose identities the notary can verify, may give sworn written statements vouching for you. The witnesses have to confirm they personally know you, believe you cannot reasonably obtain an acceptable ID, and have no financial interest in the transaction.¹

What Happens at the Appointment

Bring the document complete but unsigned. A jurat requires you to sign in the notary’s presence; a pre-signed document defeats the purpose of the oath and will force you to start over with a fresh copy.

Present Your ID

Hand the notary your government-issued ID. They will check that it is current (or expired within five years), carries a serial number, and that the name and photo match you. The specific ID you present gets recorded on the certificate.³

Take the Oath or Affirmation

This is the step that makes a jurat a jurat. The notary administers a spoken oath or affirmation, and you have to answer with a clear verbal “yes” or “no.” A nod, a thumbs-up, or a mumbled response does not count. Pick an oath if you’re comfortable swearing to a higher power or an affirmation if you prefer a secular pledge; both carry identical legal weight. Many notaries will ask you to raise your right hand, though Florida law doesn’t specifically require the gesture.

Sign the Document

After taking the oath, sign the document while the notary watches. The notary then fills in the certificate: venue, date, your name, the identification method, and the physical-presence or online-notarization box. They sign, print or stamp their commissioned name, and affix their seal. Read the completed certificate before you leave. The reason matters, and it’s covered below.

Doing It Online Instead

Florida allows jurats through remote online notarization (RON), which is why the statutory certificate has a checkbox for online notarization. The notary has to be separately registered as an online notary public with the Florida Department of State and work through an approved platform that handles audio-video conferencing, electronic sealing, and session recording.⁴

Identity verification online is stricter than in person. The notary has to confirm your identity through all three of these steps:⁵

You hold your government-issued ID up to the camera for remote presentation.
A third-party system runs credential analysis on the ID’s security features to confirm it is not fraudulent.
You complete identity proofing, usually by answering knowledge-based authentication questions drawn from your personal history.

If any one of those three steps fails, the notary cannot complete the online notarization and you will need to appear in person.

What a Jurat Costs

A Florida notary may charge up to $10 for an in-person jurat.⁶ Remote online notarizations are capped higher, at $25. If your document needs multiple notarized signatures, each one is a separate notarial act with its own fee.

Every jurat on a paper document must carry the notary’s rubber stamp seal in photographically reproducible black ink, showing the words “Notary Public–State of Florida,” the notary’s name, commission expiration date, and commission number.¹ An embossed impression can supplement the rubber stamp but cannot replace it.

If Something on the Certificate Is Wrong

Florida does not let a notary cross out and initial a mistake on a jurat certificate. If your name is misspelled, the date is wrong, or the wrong identification box is checked, the fix is a brand-new notarization. You have to appear before the notary again, retake the oath or affirmation, and sign a new document or have a new certificate attached. That is the reason to look over the certificate before you leave the first time.

Penalties for a False Sworn Statement

A jurat is an oath, and lying on a sworn document carries real criminal exposure. Under Florida Statutes §837.02, making a false statement under oath in an official proceeding about a material matter is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.⁷ If the false statement relates to the prosecution of a capital felony, the charge rises to a second-degree felony. Before you raise your hand, be sure every statement in the document is one you are willing to swear to.

1
Online Sunshine. Florida Code 117.05 – Use of Notary Commission; Unlawful Use; Notary Fee; Seal; Duties; Employer Liability; Name Change; Advertising; Photocopies; Penalties
2
Florida Division of Corporations. Notary Commissions and Apostille/Certification Sections
3
Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 117.05 – Use of Notary Commission; Unlawful Use; Notary Fee; Seal; Duties; Employer Liability; Name Change; Advertising; Photocopies; Penalties
4
Florida Department of State. Remote Online Notary Public (RON)
5
Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 117.265
6
Florida Senate. Florida Code 117.05 – Use of Notary Commission; Unlawful Use; Notary Fee; Seal; Duties; Employer Liability; Name Change; Advertising; Photocopies; Penalties
7
Online Sunshine. Florida Code 837.02 – Perjury in Official Proceedings