What is a Notary Public?
The office of Notary Public is a vital public function. Notaries are called upon to perform many valuable services for New Jersey's business, legal and financial communities. Effective notary services help to ensure that documents are properly executed, that facts are duly certified, and above all, that the general public is protected from fraud. Notarization is essential for many official documents including mortgages, deeds, contracts, and various corporate transactions. A Notary Public is a public officer who serves as an impartial witness to the signing of documents and to the acknowledgment of signatures on documents. A Notary Public may also administer oaths and affirmations. A duly appointed New Jersey Notary Public is authorized to perform notary services throughout the State of New Jersey.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an Oath or Affirmation?
An Oath is a spoken declaration of a promise or statement of truth, on one's own honor before a higher power. An Affirmation is essentially the same as an Oath, except without any references to a higher power.
Every Jurat requires that the notary administer an oath or an affirmation as indicated by the notarial certificate wording, such as "sworn to or affirmed before me".
What is a Jurat?
A jurat is a notarial certificate in which a Notary Public certifies that he or she witnessed the signing of a document and that he/she administered an oath or an affirmation to the signer.
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Subscribed: Signed
Sworn: An oath or affirmation was executed.
Is a Notary Stamp or Embosser Required?
For documents executed prior to October 20, 2021, a stamp or embosser is NOT required for the notarization to be valid. For documents executed prior to October 2021, the Notary Public was only required to enter his/her name, title, and commission expiration date.
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For documents executed after October 2021, a stamp will be required on all notarizations. The are no specific fonts, colors, or sizes to a Notary's stamp. However, the stamp must include the Notary's full name, title, and commission expiration.
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Example Stamp Text:
John Q. Public
Notary Public, State of New Jersey
My Commission Expires 12-31-2029
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Embossing stamps that leave a physical impression in the paper are not required for documents executed before or after October 20, 2021.
What is a Venue?
A venue appears on most legal documents. This is included to indicate where the document was executed.
State of New Jersey
ss.
County of Mercer
It is a common error for a Notary Public to enter the county of his or her residence. The correct entry is to write the county where services are rendered. In the simplest of terms, the Notary should look at the ground below them and ask themselves, what County am I standing in right now?
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The letters "SS." often appear. This is an abbreviation for the Latin word SCILICET which translates to "namely" or "in particular".
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DO NOT WRITE a Social Security number next to these letters.
Can a New Jersey Notary perfom a notarization in New York?
No. A New Jersey Notary Public does not have any authority to perform the duties of a Notary Public unless he or she is physically located within the boundaries of the State.
Can I verify that a Notary's commission is valid?
Yes. The State of New Jersey maintains a database of Notaries Public. This database can be accessed on the State Website:
https://www.state.nj.us/treasury/revenue/notary.shtml