posted by Kathleen Butler, American Society of Notaries on September 8, 2009  At some point, nearly every notary will be presented with a document for notarization that does not display any notarial language. Handle this situation by asking the signer... posted by Kathleen Butler, American Society of Notaries on September 8, 2009  At some point, nearly every notary will be presented with a document for notarization that does not display any notarial language. Handle this situation by asking the signer: "Would you like to acknowledge signing the document willingly, for its stated purpose… or would you like to swear or affirm that the contents of the document are true?" You may show samples of the acknowledgment certificate and the jurat, to help the signer decide. Some (not all!) states allow their notaries to "witness signatures"; if your state is one of them, you may also ask if the signer wishes you to witness his/her signature, and you may show him/her the notarial certificate for a signature witnessing. Once the signer chooses the notarial act, you may add the proper notarial wording to the document, either by writing or stamping it onto the document, or attaching a loose notarial certificate. Remember, it is the signer, not you, who must choose the notarial act. Questions? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The content of this post was provided by the American Society of Notaries. ASN is the nation's oldest notary association, dedicated to advancing the office of notary public through its technical expertise, membership services, education programs, publications, and advocacy. To learn more about ASN and how to become a member, please click here.