Types of Notarizations Available on Proof
The Proof platform offers various notarial acts including acknowledgments to verify identity and willingness to sign, jurats to confirm the truthfulness of document contents under oath, standalone oaths or affirmations as verbal promises, and copy certifications to attest that a document copy is accurate, with specific restrictions on certifying public or vital records and varying acceptance depending on jurisdiction.
On the Proof platform, notarizations are officially called notarial acts. Most documents already include the necessary legal wording, but if your document is missing it, your notary can provide a "notarial certificate" page. Below are the general definitions of the most common notarial acts performed on the platform:
Acknowledgment
An acknowledgment is the most common type of notarization. Its purpose is to confirm that you are who you say you are and that you're signing the document willingly.
How it works: The notary verifies your identity, and you confirm that the signature on the document is yours and that you understand what you're signing.
Jurat
A jurat is used when you need to confirm that the contents of a document are true.
How it works: The notary verifies your identity and then administers an oath or affirmation. You must swear — or affirm — that the statements in the document are true based on your personal knowledge, and then sign the document in front of the notary.
Oath or Affirmation
An oath or affirmation is a spoken promise, often used for an "oath of office" or before giving a deposition or court testimony.
On the Proof platform: Most oaths performed on Proof are tied to a Jurat — confirming a document's truthfulness — but they can also stand alone as a verbal commitment.
Copy Certification
In a copy certification, a notary confirms that a reproduction of a document is a "true and correct" copy of the original.
How it works: The notary compares the copy to the original to confirm it's complete and accurate.
Notaries cannot certify copies of public or "vital" records — such as birth, death, or marriage certificates — or official court documents. These must be obtained directly from the government office that issued them. Additionally, some states and jurisdictions do not allow notaries to perform copy certifications at all. Always check with your document recipient to confirm they'll accept a notarized certified copy.
If you have questions about the Proof platform's tools, reach out to Proof Support. For questions about which legal act your document requires, please contact the document sender or a legal professional.
Related
Create an In-House Notary Account – Proof Help Center
The guide details the step-by-step process for In-House Notaries to create a Proof platform account, including obtaining state authorization for online notarizations, submitting required documents like a paper commission and digital certificate, completing training and assessments, and following account setup procedures such as receiving organizational invitations and enabling multi-factor authentication.
In-House Notary Supplement
The In-House Notary Supplement, incorporated into the Proof General Terms, governs Subscribers' use of the Platform by In-House Notaries for notarizations related to Transactions, requiring Subscribers to grant limited access to In-House Notaries who must comply with registration, agree to terms, and provide updated Compliance Documentation including training, bonding, commissions, eNotary approvals, insurance, and digital certificates as mandated by Proof or applicable laws.
Product Teaser: Proof Certificates | Proof
Proof is launching exclusive digital Proof Certificates for notaries on their platform, which meet and exceed WebTrust standards and Adobe's Authorized Trust List, providing enhanced security by protecting notary digital seals from forgery, displaying a green checkmark in Adobe Acrobat Reader, and ensuring compliance with state laws and underwriting requirements, especially benefiting real estate digital closings.
Digital Certificates Now Available
In March 2026, Proof introduced exclusive, rigorously audited digital certificates for notaries that meet WebTrust standards and are listed on Adobe's Authorized Trust List, providing a secure digital identity that digitally signs and stamps notarized documents with a visible green checkmark in Adobe Acrobat, preventing seal replication, enhancing trust, and ensuring remote online notarizations are more secure and traceable than traditional paper-based methods.
Assign In-House and On-Demand Notaries to Different Signers (API Only)
Organizations with API access and in-house notaries can assign different notary types—on-demand or in-house—to individual signers within the same transaction by configuring notary assignments via the API based on signing order, enabling tailored notarization flows such as allowing internal employees to skip identity verification while external signers complete standard processes.
Completing Transactions – Proof Help Center
The Proof Help Center provides detailed guidance on completing notarizations online—including signing, witnessing, eSigning, identity verification, and post-session management—while explaining platform features, document acceptance, notarization types and costs, accessibility, identity verification requirements, and specific workflows for real estate transactions.