Types of Notarizations
Acceptable Identification
Please note that only Bentley Business will be notarized at the Office of the Registrar.
There are four types of Notarial Acts available in Massachusetts:
Acknowledgment shall mean a notarial act in which an individual, at a single time and place:
a. appears in person before the Notary Public and presents a document;
b. is identified by the Notary Public through satisfactory evidence of identity; and
c. indicates to the Notary Public that the signature on the document was voluntarily affixed by the individual for the purposes stated within the document and, if applicable, that the individual had authority to sign in a particular representative capacity.
A Notary shall take the acknowledgment of the signature or mark of persons acknowledging for themselves or in any representative capacity by using a form or stamp.
Jurat means a notarial act in which an individual, at a single time and place:
a. appears in person before the Notary Public and presents a document;
b. is identified by the Notary Public through satisfactory evidence of identity;
c. signs the document in the presence of the Notary Public; and
d. takes an oath or affirmation before the Notary vouching for the truthfulness or accuracy of the signed document.
A Notary shall use a jurat certificate in substantially a form or stamp in notarizing a signature or mark on an affidavit or other sworn or affirmed written declaration
Signature witnessing shall mean a notarial act in which an individual, at a single time and place:
a. appears in person before the Notary Public and presents a document;
b. is identified by the Notary Public through satisfactory evidence of identity; and
c. signs the document in the presence of the Notary Public.
A Notary shall witness a signature in substantially a form or stamp in notarizing a signature or mark to confirm that it was affixed in the notary’s presence without administration of an oath or affirmation.
Copy certification shall mean a notarial act in which a Notary Public:
a. is presented with a document;
b. copies the document using a photographic or electronic copying process;
c. compares the document to the copy; and
d. determines that the copy is accurate and complete.
A Notary shall certify a copy by using a form or stamp.
Things that cannot be notarized:
- vital records such as birth certificates and death certificates
- photographs (although copies of photographs can be notarized)
Acceptable Identification documents:
- Massachusetts driver's license or non-driver's identification card issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles
- Driver's license or non-driver's ID from a foreign country or another US state that meets the criteria for an acceptable cards
- US passport or a foreign passport with appropriate visa stamps
- US Military ID
- an ID card issued by the US Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS). The most common is the resident alien ID, or "green card".
- for a non-US citizen, "satisfactory evidence of identity" is defined as a passport or government issued ID with the person's nationality or residence, photograph, and signature
Please note that all documents must:
- be current
- be issued by a federal or state agency
- contain the bearer's photograph and signature
Unacceptable ID includes, but are not limited to, birth certificates, Social Security cards, credit cards and driver's licenses without photographs.