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Free Florida Notary Acknowledgment Template

A Florida notary acknowledgment is the certificate a notary completes to show who acknowledged a signature, when, and how they appeared and were identified. Fill it in with our guided form before your appointment.

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What Is a Notary Acknowledgment in Florida?

A Florida notary acknowledgment is a certificate recording that a named person acknowledged signing a document. It also notes how that person appeared and how the notary identified them. Section 117.05 of the Florida Statutes lists what every certificate must contain.

Florida Requirements for a Notary Acknowledgment

The Governor appoints Florida notaries for four-year terms, and a notary may act only within the state’s boundaries.

Identification

A notary must personally know you or have satisfactory evidence of your identity (§ 117.05(5)). Also, accepted IDs must be current or issued within the past five years, and they must carry a serial or other identifying number. Examples include:

  • A Florida driver’s license or ID card, or a US passport
  • A driver’s license or ID card from another state, a US territory, Canada, or Mexico
  • A foreign passport stamped by US Citizenship and Immigration Services
  • A US military ID or a Veterans Affairs health ID card

If you have no qualifying ID, sworn written statements from credible witnesses can substitute.

Official Seal

Every notarized paper document gets a rubber stamp seal in photographically reproducible black ink. It reads “Notary Public-State of Florida” and shows the notary’s name, commission expiration date, and commission number. However, a notary may add an embossed seal only as an extra, never as a replacement.

Notary Fees

A notary may charge no more than $10 for any one notarial act under Part I of chapter 117 (§ 117.05(2)). Online notarization and certain other services are exceptions. Witnessing a vote-by-mail ballot, however, is free. Because fees can change, confirm the amount first.

Accommodations

Notaries must make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. For instance, a notary may notarize for a person who is blind after reading the entire document aloud. Similarly, a signature by mark needs two disinterested witnesses.

What Does 'Physical Presence or Online Notarization' Mean on a Florida Notary Acknowledgment?

It records how you appeared. In fact, Florida requires every certificate to state whether the signer appeared in person or by audio-video communication technology (§ 117.05(4)). So the statutory forms include two checkboxes, and the notary marks one.

Besides the checkboxes, two more lines do similar work:

  • Personally Known OR Produced Identification — the notary marks which applies
  • Type of Identification Produced — the specific ID the notary relied on

These entries match elements the statute lists for every certificate, so leaving them blank leaves the certificate incomplete. Meanwhile, online notarization itself happens through a Florida online notary acting under Part II of chapter 117.

Tip

Check your ID’s dates before you go. Florida accepts listed IDs only if they’re current or were issued within the past five years. So a license that expired years ago may not qualify, even if the photo still looks like you.

How to Sign a Florida Notary Acknowledgment

With the form prepared, the signing itself is quick.

  1. Enter “State of Florida” and the county where the notary will be located at the time of signing.
  2. Add the name of each person acknowledging, and leave the appearance and ID lines for the notary.
  3. Bring a qualifying ID with a serial number.
  4. Appear before the notary in person, or through an online notary if you’ve arranged one.
  5. The notary marks the appearance box, records the ID type, dates and signs the certificate, prints their name, and applies the seal.
  6. Pay the fee, which can’t exceed $10 per notarial act for an in-person notarization.

What to Include in a Florida Notary Acknowledgment

Florida spells out the required elements in § 117.05(4). A Florida notary acknowledgment must contain:

  • The venue, stating the notary’s location as “State of Florida, County of ___”
  • The word “acknowledged,” which identifies the type of act
  • Whether you appeared by physical presence or by audio-video communication technology
  • The exact date of the notarial act
  • The name of the person whose signature is notarized
  • The specific type of identification relied on, or a note of personal knowledge
  • The notary’s official signature
  • The notary’s name, typed, printed, or stamped below the signature
  • The official seal, placed below or beside the signature

Beyond that list, § 117.05(13) gives sample certificates for an individual and for someone signing in a representative capacity. The representative version adds the type of authority, such as officer, trustee, or attorney in fact, and the party you signed for. You can use other forms, but the certificate must be substantially similar and include every element. Fill in your Florida notary acknowledgment with Document Genius before the appointment.