Florida does require a jurat, but only for documents where the signer must swear or affirm that the contents are true. It is one of several notarial acts under Chapter 117 of the Florida Statutes, and it is not interchangeable with an acknowledgment. If the document you are signing does not ask you to attest to truthfulness under oath, you probably need an acknowledgment instead, and using the wrong one can get the document rejected.
How to Tell Whether Your Document Needs a Jurat
Look at the notary block at the bottom of the document before you go anywhere. Two phrases give it away. “Sworn to (or affirmed) and subscribed before me” signals a jurat. “Acknowledged before me” signals an acknowledgment. They are not the same act and they are not substitutes.
With a jurat, you take an oath or affirmation that what the document says is true, then sign in front of the notary. The notary administers the oath, watches you sign, and certifies both. With an acknowledgment, you confirm that you signed voluntarily and for the stated purpose. You do not swear to accuracy, and you do not even have to sign in the notary’s presence; a signature made earlier can be acknowledged as your own.1The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes Chapter 117 – Notaries Public
If a document requires a jurat and the notary performs an acknowledgment, the notarization does not satisfy the document’s requirements. Courts, agencies, and recording offices can refuse it.
Documents That Typically Require a Jurat in Florida
The clearest example is an affidavit, which is a written statement of facts made under oath. Every affidavit needs a jurat. Beyond that, jurats commonly appear on:
- Sworn motions, verified pleadings, and certain family law and civil petitions
- Sworn financial affidavits in divorce cases and loan applications that require verification under oath
- Certain state licensing applications, permit requests, and sworn statements filed with regulatory agencies
Deeds, powers of attorney, and most contracts do not use jurats. Those documents rely on acknowledgments because the point is to confirm identity and voluntary signing, not the truth of the contents.
What the Jurat Certificate Has to Include
Florida Statutes Section 117.05(13)(a) sets out what a jurat certificate must contain. The statute allows a certificate “in substantially the same form” as the template, so wording has some flexibility, but the required elements do not.2The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 117.05 – Use of Notary Commission A complete jurat certificate shows:
- State of Florida and the county of notarization
- The language “Sworn to (or affirmed) and subscribed before me”
- A checkbox indicating whether the signer appeared by physical presence or by online notarization
- The date
- The signer’s full name
- The notary’s signature, printed name, and official seal
- Whether the signer was personally known to the notary or produced identification, and the type of ID
The physical-presence-versus-online checkbox has been required since January 1, 2020.3Florida Department of State. Sample Notarial Statements as of January 1, 2020 A certificate that leaves it off does not match the statutory form and is vulnerable to challenge.
How the Signing Actually Works
You must personally appear before a Florida notary, either in person or through authorized remote online notarization. Bring valid identification that is current or was issued within the past five years and carries a serial or identifying number. Florida driver’s licenses, state ID cards, U.S. passports, and foreign passports stamped by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services all qualify, and other government-issued photo ID with a serial number may also work.2The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 117.05 – Use of Notary Commission Expired ID outside the five-year window will be rejected. If the notary personally knows you, ID may not be required, but the certificate has to say so.
Once your identity is confirmed, the notary administers an oath or affirmation. An oath usually invokes a higher authority; an affirmation is a secular version. Both carry the same legal weight in Florida, and you can choose either.
Do not sign the document ahead of time. A jurat requires you to sign in the notary’s presence after the oath. This is the single most common mistake, and a pre-signed document forces you to start over with a fresh signature line or a new copy.
Remote Online Jurats
Florida allows jurats performed by remote online notarization, where you and the notary meet over live audio-video rather than in person. The notary must be registered with the state as an online notary.4The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 117.265 – Online Notarization Procedures
Identity verification is more layered online. The notary reviews your government-issued ID on camera, runs a credential analysis of that ID, and puts you through knowledge-based authentication using questions drawn from your personal history. If any step fails, the notary cannot proceed. The audio-video session is recorded and retained. The certificate looks the same as an in-person jurat, except the online-notarization box is checked.3Florida Department of State. Sample Notarial Statements as of January 1, 2020
What a Jurat Costs
Florida caps notary fees at $10 per notarial act for standard in-person notarizations.2The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 117.05 – Use of Notary Commission The cap runs per signature, so a document with two signers who each need a jurat can cost up to $20. Remote online notarizations have a different fee structure under Section 117.275, and mobile notaries often add travel charges on top of the statutory notary fee. Banks, libraries, and shipping stores frequently notarize at or below the statutory maximum.
What Happens if You Lie Under a Jurat
A jurat is not a formality. Once you swear or affirm and sign, a false statement can be prosecuted as perjury.
Florida treats perjury differently depending on the setting. Perjury in an official proceeding, such as filing a false affidavit in court, is a third-degree felony carrying up to five years in prison.5The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 837.02 – Perjury in Official Proceedings Perjury outside an official proceeding is a first-degree misdemeanor with up to one year in jail.6The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 837.012 – Perjury When Not in an Official Proceeding Either way, the false statement has to concern a material matter, meaning something relevant to the document’s purpose rather than a trivial detail.
Federal exposure can add to state penalties. Under 18 U.S.C. ยง 1621, perjury in a federal context carries up to five years in prison.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 1621 – Perjury Generally A false sworn statement on a federal immigration form or tax affidavit could draw federal charges no matter where the jurat happened.
When a Notary Cannot Perform Your Jurat
Section 117.107 bars a notary from performing any notarial act on a document in which the notary has a financial interest or is a party to the transaction.8Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 117.107 – Prohibited Acts A real estate agent earning a commission on a sale cannot notarize the closing documents. Two narrow exceptions exist: an employee notarizing for their employer where the employee gets no benefit beyond regular salary and the statutory fee, and an attorney notarizing for a client where the only interest is legal fees and the notary fee.
A notary who signs off on a false certificate commits a third-degree felony under Section 117.105, on top of losing the commission and facing civil liability to anyone harmed.9The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 117.105 – False or Fraudulent Acknowledgments; Penalty
Using a Florida Jurat in Another State
A document notarized with a jurat in Florida is generally accepted in other states under interstate recognition laws. Most states have adopted provisions based on the Uniform Law on Notarial Acts or its 2010 revision, which direct the receiving state to evaluate the notarization under the law of the state where it was performed. A jurat that complied with Florida law when executed should be honored elsewhere.
The receiving state’s rules on the underlying document are a separate question. A Florida jurat may be valid as a notarization while the affidavit it sits on falls short of another state’s content requirements. If you know a document is heading out of state, ask the receiving party whether the Florida jurat form is enough or whether additional language is needed.