An acknowledgment is a notarial act in which a signer personally appears before a notary public and declares that they voluntarily signed a document as their own free act. The notary must positively identify the signer, complete the certificate, and affix their seal and signature. The certificate must contain the words "personally appeared" and the name of the signer (Civil Code §1189).
Unlike a jurat, the signer does NOT need to sign the document in the notary's presence — a pre-signed document is acceptable, as long as the signer personally appears and verbally acknowledges the signature. The notary may NOT acknowledge their own signature.
Exam Tip: The key phrase to memorize is "personally appeared." If a question states the signer cannot appear in person, an acknowledgment is impossible. Acknowledgments do NOT require the signer to swear that the document's contents are true — that is a jurat.
Free Practice
Master Acknowledgment and 400+ other real exam questions
Knowing the definition is step one. The California notary exam tests this concept under time pressure — with four realistic answer choices designed to catch you on the exact details that trip candidates up. See how you'd score right now, for free.
Try the Free CA Notary Practice Test