An Illinois notary acknowledgement is a short certificate in which a notary public states that a named person acknowledged a document before the notary on a stated date.[1] This page shows the statutory wording from 5 ILCS 312/6-105 and the free FormsPal template.
Last Updated: October 2026. This guide is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current Illinois law. If you notice an error or outdated information, please contact us.
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Many offices that ask for a notarized signature also say which certificate wording they accept. If you need the general version, see the notary acknowledgement template.
Illinois sets out its notary certificate wording in Section 6-105 of 5 ILCS 312, titled Short Forms. That section says the short form certificates of notarial acts it lists are sufficient for the purposes indicated.[1] It gives wording for an acknowledgment by an individual, an acknowledgment in a representative capacity, a verification upon oath or affirmation, and the witnessing or attesting of a signature.
Each short form follows the same layout. Every certificate has these parts:
Notaries commonly ask to see photo identification, so bring one with the document you want acknowledged.
Under Illinois law, an acknowledgment is a person's declaration that the person has executed a document for the purposes stated in it. When the person signs in a representative capacity, it also declares that the person signed with proper authority and executed the document as the act of the person or entity represented (5 ILCS 312/6-101). An Illinois notary public can take an acknowledgment.[2] The Secretary of State appoints and commissions Illinois notaries public (5 ILCS 312/2-101).[6]
Section 6-105 prints the wording of each short form certificate. The four certificates below are quoted exactly as the statute gives them, with blanks for the state, county, date and names.[1] Choose the one that matches the act the notary performs.
An individual acting in his or her own right may acknowledge a document. The certificate says the instrument was acknowledged before the notary on a stated date by the named person or persons.[1]
State of _________________ County of ________________ This instrument was acknowledged before me on ___________(date) by ___________________(name/s of person/s). ____________________________ (Signature of Notary Public)
A document signed for another person or an entity may be acknowledged in a representative capacity. This wording adds the type of authority, such as officer or trustee, and the name of the party on whose behalf the instrument was executed.[1]
State of ______________________ County of _____________________ This instrument was acknowledged before me on _________(date) by __________________(name/s of person/s) as _________________________________(type of authority, e.g., officer, trustee, etc.) of _________________________(name of party on behalf of whom instrument was executed). _______________________________ (Signature of Notary Public)
When a person signs a statement on oath or affirmation, Section 6-105 gives a separate certificate. It says the statement was signed and sworn to, or affirmed, before the notary on a stated date.[1]
State of _________________ County of_________________ Signed and sworn (or affirmed) to before me on _________(date) by _____________________(name/s of person/s making statement). _______________________________ (Signature of Notary Public)
When a notary witnesses or attests a signature, the certificate states that the named person signed or attested the document before the notary on a stated date.[1]
State of_________________ County of _______________ Signed or attested before me on __________(date) by __________________(name/s of person/s). _______________________________ (Signature of Notary Public)
Getting a document notarized in Illinois usually takes one short visit to a notary public. The steps below walk you through that visit. The next section shows how the acknowledgment form itself is filled in.
An Illinois notary authenticates official acts with a rubber stamp seal that contains the words "Official Seal," the notary's official name, the words "Notary Public" and "State of Illinois," and the commission expiration date (5 ILCS 312/3-101).[4]
A notary may not take the acknowledgment of a person who is blind until the notary has read the document to that person (5 ILCS 312/6-104).[5]
An Illinois notary may not change anything in a written document after anyone has signed it (5 ILCS 312/6-104).[5]
Illinois allows remote notarization. Any commissioned Illinois notary public may perform a notarial act described in 5 ILCS 312/6-102, such as taking an acknowledgment, remotely, after first determining from personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence that the signature is that of the person appearing before the notary (5 ILCS 312/6-102.5).[7]
The FormsPal Illinois notary acknowledgement template is a one-page form headed ACKNOWLEDGMENT. The step below follows the form from top to bottom, and the screenshot shows where each entry goes. You can fill in the PDF on screen with the FormsPal PDF editor or print it and write by hand.
The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Illinois notary acknowledgement template filled with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. The names, addresses, dates and amounts are examples only.
The template is a general acknowledgment layout and its text is not copied from the short forms in Section 6-105. If an office asks for a specific certificate, use the wording it names.
These short answers draw on Section 6-105 of 5 ILCS 312, which sets out the Illinois short form certificates for notarial acts.[1] Each answer covers one question people ask about the wording of an acknowledgment, a verification on oath or affirmation, or a witnessed signature.
Section 6-105 lists short form certificates for acknowledgments and says they are sufficient for the purposes indicated.[1] For an acknowledgment, the certificate states that the instrument was acknowledged before the notary on a stated date by the named person. It starts with the state and county, and it ends with the signature of the notary public.
The statute gives two acknowledgment certificates.[1]
Section 6-105 calls it the short form certificate for a verification upon oath or affirmation. It reads "Signed and sworn (or affirmed) to before me on (date) by (name/s of person/s making statement)," followed by the signature of the notary public.[1]
Yes. Section 6-105 includes a short form for witnessing or attesting a signature. It says the document was signed or attested before the notary on a stated date by the named person or persons.[1]
General information, not legal or tax advice.
