In New York usage, an acknowledgment has two related meanings. Strictly speaking, it is the signer’s declaration before an authorized officer that the signer executed the instrument as their own act and deed. In everyday practice, people also use the word to describe the certificate the officer completes after taking that declaration.
An acknowledgment is important because it helps make a conveyance recordable and usable as proof of due execution. Under Real Property Law §303, the officer must know or have satisfactory evidence that the person making the acknowledgment is the person described in and who executed the instrument. The signer does not have to sign in the notary’s presence; what matters is the personal appearance and the declaration of execution.
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