Notarized letter: you write it, the notary only certifies the signature

What a notarized letter is

A notarized letter has two parts. The first is your letter: who you are, what you are saying, the date, and your signature. The second is the notarial certificate: the short block of wording, the notary’s signature, and the seal that says what the notary did.

The certificate is about you, not the letter. The California Notary Public Handbook requires a boxed notice at the top of a California acknowledgment saying the notary verifies only the identity of the individual who signed the document. That is a fair description of every notarized letter. If the letter is wrong, the notary’s seal does not make it right.

People are usually asked for one by an office that wants more than a plain signature: a school, a landlord, a bank, an employer, a consulate, or another parent’s lawyer. Read their request first. It often says what the letter must contain and which kind of notarization it wants.

Acknowledgment or jurat: pick before you go

There are two common certificates. The choice changes what you do in front of the notary.

The California handbook draws that same line. An acknowledgment certifies that the signer appeared, was identified, and acknowledged signing. The document can be signed before the signer brings it in. A jurat certifies that the signer appeared, was identified, took an oath or affirmation, and signed in the notary’s presence.

You have to choose. The notary cannot choose for you. The handbook says a notary may not prepare, draft, select, or determine the kind of legal document, or give advice about it. The Texas Secretary of State says the same about Texas notaries: they cannot draft documents, choose the certificate, or make statements for signers. If the office that asked for the letter did not say, ask it. If the letter states facts you are swearing to, that is usually a jurat. Our jurat guide goes deeper.

How to write a notarized letter

Keep it plain. Most notarized letters fit on one page.

1. Put your full legal name at the top, the same name that is on your photo ID. Add your address and a phone number if the office will want to reach you.
2. Date it.
3. Address it to the office or person who asked for it, if you know who that is.
4. Say what you are confirming or allowing, in short sentences. Name the people involved with full names. Give dates and places where they matter. Say how long a permission lasts.
5. If you are swearing that the facts are true, say so in a sentence near the end, and plan on a jurat.
6. Leave a signature line with your printed name under it. If it will be a jurat, do not sign yet.
7. Leave space below the signature for the notarial certificate, or plan for the notary to attach a separate certificate page.

Fill in every line before you go. A notary will refuse a letter with blanks. The California handbook says a notary may not notarize a document that is incomplete. Florida Statutes § 117.107(10) says a notary may not notarize a signature on a document that is incomplete or blank.

If two people must sign, both need to appear and both need ID. Many caps on notary fees count each signature or each signer, so two signers can cost more. The numbers are on how much does a notary cost.

A sample notarized letter

This is a pattern, not a legal form. Change it to fit what you were asked for.

Do not copy certificate wording from the internet into the space. Many states require specific wording, and California requires its own boxed notice on an acknowledgment. Let the notary complete the certificate that matches the act you asked for.

How to get the letter notarized

Bring the unsigned letter if it is a jurat, or the signed letter if it is an acknowledgment. Bring a current government photo ID. The full ID list is on what do you need to get something notarized.

You have to appear. The California handbook says a video image is not a personal appearance for a California notary. Florida § 117.107(9) says the signer must appear by physical presence, or by audio-video communication under the state’s online notary rules. That is why the product matters.

• A walk-in counter at a bank or a shipping store is usually the cheapest, during business hours. The Post Office is not one.
• A mobile notary comes to you and adds a travel charge. See mobile notary services.
• A video session works when the notary holds a commission that allows it and the office that asked for the letter accepts an electronic notarization. A California notary cannot do one. A Texas notary with an Online Notary Public commission can. A Florida notary registered as an Online Notary Public can. How the call works is in how a remote online notary works.

Some notaries cannot notarize for family. Florida § 117.107(11) bars a notary from notarizing the signature of the notary’s spouse, son, daughter, mother, or father. Use an unrelated notary.

Letters that are really forms

Sometimes the office says “notarized letter” but has a form for it. Use the form.

The clearest example is a child’s passport. When a parent cannot come to the appointment for a child under 16, the State Department asks for Form DS-3053, signed in front of a certified notary public, with a photocopy of the ID shown to the notary. It accepts an electronically notarized consent where state law allows it, as a printed copy, and it must be submitted within 90 days of being notarized. A home-made letter is the wrong document there.

A letter headed abroad can also need an apostille after it is notarized. The notary’s state issues that, not the notary. See how to get an apostille.

The buttons below are video notaries, ordered by grade. Use one when the notary’s commission allows the session and the office that asked for the letter accepts it.