Michigan law prescribes three short certificate forms a notary uses to complete a notarial act: an acknowledgment, a verification on oath or affirmation (jurat), and a signature witnessing. The examples of Michigan notary certificate wording below are the forms the Secretary of State prescribes, and each one must sit above a signature block containing the notary’s name, commission information, and the date of the act. Pick the form that matches what the document actually requires, fill in the bracketed fields exactly, and add the signature block elements set out in MCL 55.287.
Acknowledgment Wording
An acknowledgment confirms that the signer appeared before the notary and declared the signature is theirs, made voluntarily and for the purposes stated in the document. The prescribed wording is:
“Acknowledged by [name] before me on the [date] day of [month], [year].”1Michigan Department of State. Notary Services
This is the certificate used for deeds, mortgages, and most routine documents a register of deeds will record. The notary’s job here is narrow: verify the signer’s identity and confirm the signer acknowledges the signature. The notary does not read the document, judge its contents, or confirm that the signer understands every clause.
When the Signer Represents a Business or Another Person
Under MCL 55.263, a signer acting for a corporation, under a power of attorney, as a trustee, as a partner, or as any other authorized representative is signing “in a representative capacity.”2Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 55.263 – Definitions The certificate wording is the same, but the notary should identify the individual and the entity they represent within the certificate. A corporate officer who signs a deed without that representative language noted may see the recording rejected at the county level.
Jurat Wording (Verification on Oath or Affirmation)
When a signer must swear that the contents of a document are true, the notary performs a verification upon oath or affirmation and uses a jurat. Affidavits, sworn statements, and many court filings require this form. The prescribed wording is:
“Subscribed and sworn to by [name] before me on the [date] day of [month], [year].”1Michigan Department of State. Notary Services
Before signing this certificate, the notary must administer a verbal oath or affirmation. Watching the person sign and stamping the paper is not enough. MCL 55.285(3) also requires the notary to determine, through personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence, that the person making the verification is the person whose signature appears on the record.3Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 55.285 – Performance of Notarial Acts
The signer chooses between an oath (a pledge invoking a higher power) and an affirmation (a pledge on personal honor with no religious reference). Both carry the same legal weight, and a false statement under either exposes the signer to perjury charges. Ask which the signer prefers rather than assuming. The prescribed language accommodates both: “sworn to” covers oaths, and “affirmed” can be substituted for affirmations.
Signature Witnessing Wording
Sometimes a document just needs a notary to confirm they watched a specific person sign it. The notary is not verifying the truth of the document and is not asking the signer to swear to anything. The prescribed wording is:
“Signed or attested before me by [name] on the [date] day of [month], [year].”1Michigan Department of State. Notary Services
MCL 55.285(4) requires the notary to confirm, through personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence, that the signature belongs to the person present and named in the record.3Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 55.285 – Performance of Notarial Acts This certificate works well for simple contracts, consent forms, and other records where a neutral witness adds credibility but no sworn statement is needed.
The Signature Block Every Certificate Needs
Regardless of which certificate you use, MCL 55.287 requires a signature block printed, typed, or stamped near the notary’s signature in a form that is legible and photocopiable. The required elements are:
- The notary’s name exactly as it appears on the commission filed with the Secretary of State.
- A state and county statement: “Notary public, State of Michigan, County of [county of commission].”
- An expiration statement: “My commission expires [date].”
- The date the notarial act was performed.
- If the notary performs the act outside the county of commission: “Acting in the County of [county].”
- If the act is done through an electronic or remote platform, a notation to that effect.
Missing elements are the usual reason a county register of deeds rejects a document. Common misses include an omitted commission expiration date, a printed name that does not match the commission, and the “acting in the County of” line when a notary travels to a neighboring county for a signing.
Identification Before Any Certificate Is Signed
Every certificate above assumes the notary has already verified who the signer is. MCL 55.285(6) recognizes four methods:
- Personal knowledge of the signer.
- A credible witness who is personally known to the notary and personally knows the signer, identifying the signer under oath or affirmation.
- A current federal or state identification card showing the signer’s photograph and signature.
- For remote online notarizations, identity proofing through an approved platform’s credential analysis combined with a government-issued ID.
Most notaries work from a driver’s license, state ID card, or U.S. passport. The statute requires both a photograph and a signature on the ID, so a document missing either does not qualify. Foreign government-issued identification is not among the accepted options.
Documents a Michigan Notary Cannot Sign
Several common requests fall outside what any of the three certificates can be used for. Under MCL 55.291, a Michigan notary cannot:
- Certify that a document is an original or a true copy. If someone needs a certified copy of a birth certificate or deed, they must obtain it from the issuing agency. A notary can, however, notarize a person’s signature on a written statement attesting that they themselves made a copy of an original in their possession.
- Notarize their own signature, notarize a document they executed, or take their own deposition or affidavit.
- Perform a notarial act for a spouse, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, or sibling, including in-laws, step-relatives, and half-relatives.
- Notarize a transaction in which they have a direct financial or beneficial interest beyond the notary fee, or in which they are personally named as a party. An exception exists for bank employees and corporate officers notarizing documents executed to or by their employer, so long as the notary is not individually a party to the record.
- Give legal or immigration advice unless separately licensed as an attorney, or use the term “notario publico.”
Remote Notarizations Use the Same Wording, Plus a Notation
Michigan authorizes notaries to perform notarial acts through a remote electronic notarization platform approved under MCL 55.286b, with the signer and notary meeting over live audio-video technology. The certificate wording is the same as above, with one addition: the certificate must note that the act was performed using an electronic or remote platform, and the signature block carries the same notation.6Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 55.286b – Remote Electronic Notarization
Remote notarizations also carry recordkeeping obligations in the same statute. The notary must maintain a journal (bound paper or tamper-evident electronic) recording the date, time, nature of the act, a description of the document, the signer’s full name and address, how identity was verified, and any fee charged. The journal must be kept for at least 10 years after the last entry. If the session is audio or video recorded, the notary must disclose that and obtain the signer’s consent, and the recording must also be kept for 10 years.