Free Maine Notary Acknowledgment Template

A Maine notary acknowledgment is the certificate evidencing that you appeared before a notarial officer and acknowledged signing a record. Maine adopted the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts, in Title 4, chapter 39 of the Maine Revised Statutes, effective July 1, 2023.

The Maine Secretary of State answers common notary questions on its website.

Who Can Act

Beyond commissioned notaries, Maine’s notarial officers include justices, judges, clerks, and deputy clerks of Maine courts. Attorneys admitted to practice in Maine qualify too. Commissions last seven years, and new notaries take their oath before a Dedimus Justice.

Stamp

For an in-person paper notarization, a stamp isn’t required, though the Secretary of State strongly suggests using one. Electronic and remote acts, however, always require one. It shows the notary’s name as commissioned, “Notary Public” with “State of Maine” or “Maine,” and the commission expiration date.

Journal

A journal is required for electronic and remote notarizations but not for in-person paper acts. Even so, the Secretary of State strongly suggests keeping one, and journals are kept for 10 years after the last entry.

Remote Notarization

Remote notarization is available through a technology provider approved by the Secretary of State. You can’t use general video apps such as Zoom or FaceTime. The signer may be in another state or even outside the United States.

Choosing the Certificate

If your document has no certificate, the choice of which one to attach is yours. The notary may show you examples, or you can ask the document’s recipient.

No. Maine’s family restriction is broad. According to the Secretary of State, a notarial officer may not perform a notarial act for:

• Their spouse or domestic partner
• A parent, sibling, or child
• An in-law, or a step or half relative

The same list applies to records. An officer can’t notarize a record if any of those relatives, or the officer, is a party to it. The bar also covers records in which any of them has a direct beneficial interest.

So if a relative holds a commission, you’ll still need someone else for your Maine notary acknowledgment.

Once the paperwork is ready, the steps are simple.

1. Choose the certificate you need, or ask the recipient which one to use.
2. Enter the jurisdiction and your name on the certificate.
3. Find an unrelated notarial officer, given Maine’s family rule.
4. Appear in person, or remotely through an approved provider, and acknowledge your signature.
5. The officer signs and dates the certificate, adds their printed name and title, and includes the expiration date.
6. Keep the original with your records.

According to the Secretary of State, every notarial certificate must:

• Be executed during the notarial act
• Be signed and dated by the officer, matching the signature on file for a notary public
• Identify the jurisdiction where the act is performed
• Contain the officer’s title of office
• Show the commission expiration date, if the officer is a notary public
• Include the officer’s legibly printed or typed name

On paper, a stamp is optional, so make sure the printed name and expiration date appear on the certificate itself. Prepare your Maine notary acknowledgment with Document Genius before you meet the officer.