ASK NJNA: Correcting Notarial Certificates · New Jersey Notary Association

ASK NJNA: Correcting Notarial Certificates

NJNA Q&A: Correcting Errors in a Notarial Certificate

The following question was submitted via the NJNA website contact page:

“I was asked to notarize a document that has incorrect information in the acknowledgment. It lists State of Texas, County of Harris. It also had an incorrect date pre-filled in. Can I correct it or do I need to attach a new loose certificate?”

ANSWER:

Great question. Either option can be acceptable depending on the situation.

If there is sufficient space on the document to make the correction, you may correct the certificate without attaching a loose certificate.

Best practices for correcting a notarial certificate:

Draw a single horizontal line through the incorrect information.(In this example, draw a line through “Texas,” “Harris County,” and the incorrect date.)
Do not obliterate the incorrect text. One line is sufficient — the original wording should remain legible.
Write the correct state, county, and date above, below, or next to the incorrect wording.
Initial the correction.
Proceed with the notarization as you normally would.

When to Use a Loose Certificate:

If the document does not have enough space to make corrections, you should attach a loose certificate instead. NJNA suggests writing “See Attached Certificate” in the space where your signature would have appeared if you had completed the original certificate. While not required, this is a strong best practice because it: