The certificate of acknowledgment is the most frequent type of notarization. The certificate of acknowledgement says, “this person, X, acknowledges having signed this document.”
The document may have been signed years prior to the present notarization—that’s fine. A document signed in 2005 may be brought by the signer for notarization in 2019.
The certificate of acknowledgment is a physical certificate to be issued at the time of notarization. The certificate must follow a standard form.
California Civil Code section 1189
At the top of the certificate, there must be a black box enclosing the following statement:
A notary public or other officer completing this certificate verifies only the identity of the individual who signed the document to which this certificate is attached, and not the truthfulness, accuracy, or validity of that document.
Sometimes, a document packet contains a suggested “certificate of acknowledgement”; however, if the statutory wording is not precisely correct, a notary public should refuse the suggested form. Use and attach a proper certificate to the document in place of the suggested form.
Go to https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1189.
Steps to Notary Public 