Notarial Services EP2 Acknowledgement

An acknowledgement is an act of certifying that a person who appears in front of a notary confirms to them that they have committed a particular act and that they were well aware of the act while committing it.

For example, a person has made a contract with someone else and has signed the contract, then they later confirm to the notary in person that they have done it with a clear conscience and without being forced or tricked into doing it.

In this case, when the person makes such confirmation, the notary will be able to keep a record of the event and the acknowledgement.

An acknowledgement is different from signature witnessing in the way that in signature witnessing, the person who appears in front of the notary must sign a document before the notary’s eyes but in an acknowledgement, the person must show the notary a document such as a contract or a testament signed by themself in advance and must confirm that the signature is theirs, then the notary will proceed to notarize the document.

Therefore, signature witnessing is an act of certifying something that happens in front of the notary, not an advance signature.