Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 222, Section 15 lists the official notarial acts a notary may perform and provides mandatory certificate wording for acknowledgments, jurats, signature witnessings, and copy certifications. These statutory forms must be used whenever a notary performs those acts unless another law, court rule, court form, or filing requirement specifies a different certificate.
The statute also explains how to notarize signatures by mark and how a notary may sign for a physically unable principal, both of which still require the notary to complete the act using an acknowledgment, jurat, or signature‑witnessing certificate. Importantly, the law allows alternate certificate forms in two situations:
The statute also explains how to notarize signatures by mark and how a notary may sign for a physically unable principal, both of which still require the notary to complete the act using an acknowledgment, jurat, or signature‑witnessing certificate. Importantly, the law allows alternate certificate forms in two situations:
|
Even in those cases, the Massachusetts statutory forms may still be used unless the other law expressly prohibits substitutes.
