Free Mississippi Notary Acknowledgment Template

A Mississippi notary acknowledgment records that you declared, in person before a notarial officer, that you signed a record for its stated purpose (Miss. Code § 25-34-3). The Revised Mississippi Law on Notarial Acts governs it for acts performed on or after July 1, 2021.

Mississippi’s Secretary of State commissions notaries for four-year terms and publishes both the law and its notary rules.

In-Person Appearance

You must appear physically before the notarial officer at the time of the act (§ 25-34-15). Under the Secretary of State’s rules, you can sign before the appointment or in front of the notary. Signing after the acknowledgment isn’t allowed.

Identification

Mississippi accepts several kinds of identification (§ 25-34-13):

• An unexpired passport
• A driver’s license that is unexpired or expired no more than five years
• A government-issued nondriver ID card or a Mississippi voter ID card
• An unexpired photo ID card from a federally recognized Indian tribe or nation

Also, another unexpired government ID with your signature and photo can qualify if it satisfies the officer.

Seal and Journal

On a paper record, the notary’s official seal must be affixed to the certificate (§ 25-34-31). In addition, every notary keeps a single journal, recording each act as it happens (§ 25-34-37).

Fee

A notarial officer may charge no more than $5 for services, unless other law or the Secretary of State’s rules say otherwise (§ 25-34-9). Because fees can change, confirm the charge before your appointment.

Who Can’t Notarize for You

Family limits reach well beyond the immediate household. An officer can’t act for their spouse, child, sibling, parent, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece, or nephew. In-laws, stepchildren, stepparents, and half-siblings are covered too, and an act performed despite the bar is voidable (§ 25-34-7). However, an employee may notarize for an employer, and an attorney may notarize for a client.

You do, or whoever drafted your document. Under § 25-34-31(3), the party drafting a record is responsible for the certificate’s form, wording, and legal sufficiency.

So the notary won’t write it for you. A Mississippi notary isn’t required to draft, edit, or amend a certificate. Instead, if your record lacks an acceptable certificate, the notary must refuse to notarize it.

That makes preparation the key step. Arrive with a completed acknowledgment already printed on your document or attached to it.

With the certificate prepared, the visit itself is simple.

1. Attach the completed acknowledgment to your document, or confirm it’s already printed there.
2. Sign beforehand or at the appointment, but not afterward.
3. Bring an accepted ID, such as a passport, driver’s license, or Mississippi voter ID card.
4. Appear in person and declare that you signed for the stated purpose.
5. The notary records the act in their journal, then signs, dates, and seals the certificate.
6. Pay the fee, which can’t exceed $5 unless other law or rules allow more.

Section 25-34-31 lists what every certificate must show, so a Mississippi notary acknowledgment should include:

• The jurisdiction where the notarial act is performed
• The date, with the certificate completed at the time of the act
• The notarial officer’s signature, made the same way as on file with the Secretary of State
• The officer’s title of office
• The commission expiration date, if the officer is a notary public
• The notary’s official seal, on a paper record

If you sign for a business, trust, or another person, the acknowledgment also covers that you signed with proper authority (§ 25-34-3). The certificate must be part of the record or securely attached to it. Create your Mississippi notary acknowledgment with Document Genius so the wording is in place before you meet the notary.