Notarial act

Notarial Act

A Notarial Act is a formal act performed by a Notary Public that has legal significance. The act involves the authentication or certification of certain types of documents, transactions, and other acts of legal importance. The notarial act is a crucial part of many legal processes, providing a trusted third-party verification of the authenticity of the documents involved.

Types of Notarial Acts

There are several types of notarial acts, each with its own specific purpose and requirements. These include:

• Acknowledgment: This is a declaration by a person who has signed a document that they did so voluntarily for its stated purpose.
• Jurat: This is a certification by a notary that a signer, under oath, has made a voluntary signature and that the notary has verified the signer's identity.
• Copy Certification: This is a notarial act in which the notary certifies that a reproduction of an original document is a true, complete, and accurate copy.
• Oath/Affirmation: This is a solemn pledge made by a person to a supreme being or to a legally recognized higher power, affirming the truth of the statements in a document.

Role of a Notary Public

A Notary Public is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business. Their main roles are to administer oaths and affirmations, take affidavits and statutory declarations, witness and authenticate the execution of certain classes of documents, take acknowledgments of deeds and other conveyances, protest notes and bills of exchange, provide notice of foreign drafts, prepare marine or ship's protests in cases of damage, provide exemplifications and notarial copies, and perform certain other official acts depending on the jurisdiction.

Legal Significance

The legal significance of a notarial act lies in the notary's impartial confirmation of the facts at hand. This confirmation serves to deter fraud and promote trustworthiness in legal transactions. The notary's seal and signature, along with the record of the notarial act in the notary's register, provide evidence of the act and the facts it confirms.

See Also

• Notary Public
• Acknowledgment
• Jurat
• Copy Certification
• Oath
• Affirmation