FL Notary Resources

Resources

State Notary Public Handbooks and Sites (check your state for the latest law changes and handbooks; your state could move these links.)

Alabama	Alaska	Arizona	Arkansas	California	Colorado
Connecticut	Delaware	Florida	Georgia	Hawaii	Idaho
Illinois	Indiana	Iowa	Kansas	Kentucky	Louisiana
Maine	Maryland	Massachusetts	Michigan	Minnesota	Mississippi
Missouri	Montana	Nebraska	Nevada	New Hampshire	New Jersey
New Mexico	New York	North Carolina	North Dakota	Ohio	Oklahoma
Oregon	Pennsylvania	Rhode Island	South Carolina	South Dakota	Tennessee
Texas	Utah	Vermont	Virginia	Washington	West Virginia
Wisconsin	Wyoming

Form Links

Here are some links to forms you might find useful. Check to make sure they are the current revision prior to submitting:

Notice of Sale and/or Bill of Sale for a Motor Vehicle, Mobile Home, Off-Highway Vehicle or Vessel
Florida Apostille/Certificate of Notarial Authority Request Form
Florida Election Related Forms (Loyalty Oath, Candidacy, etc.)

FL Notarial Certificates

Because there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about what a notarial certificate is, and isn't, I've put some references together right from the Governor's Reference manual for Florida Notaries.

The notarial act is not signing and stamping a document. Instead, it involved the following acts, which are required by FLORIDA statute:

1. Examing the document.

2. Check the notarial certificate.

3. Identify the person who will be signing. This means the person MUST physically appear in front of the notary.

4. Assure that the signer understands the document.

5. Administer the Oath or Take the Acknowledgment. There must be an exchange between the signer and the notary. If you've ever had anything notarized and the notary simply signed and stamped the document, the notarization could be considered invalid.

6. Complete the Jurat or Certificate (Acknowledgment). This is the notarial certificate.

The following notarial certificates are from the FLORIDA Governor's Reference Manual for Notaries, Printed 11/2001. They are presented here to assist others in creating pre-printed notarial certificates on their documents for notarization in the state of Florida. These examples of certificates do not preclude the use of others, however, any form that is used must contain all the required information, as do these.

Acknowledgments

   Individual Capacity
    Representative Capacity
    Partner representing Partnership
    Officer representing Corporation
    Acting as Attorney in Fact
    Public Officer, Trustee or Personal Representative
    Person Who Signs by Mark
    Disabled Person who Directs Another to Sign

Jurats

   General Affidavit
   Individual Capacity
    Person Who Signs by Mark
    Credible Witnesses Affidavit
     Disabled Person who Directs Another to Sign

Others

   Attested Photocopies
   Deposition
    Safe-Deposit Box

Notarizations in the state of Florida require notarial certificates to have nine (9) components. They are as follows:

Certificate Callout

If you've had your signature notarized in Florida and the notarial certificate does not contain all of these elements, it could be considered an invalid notarization.