A Washington notary acknowledgement is a written certificate in which a notary public confirms that a record was acknowledged before them. Washington law sets out the Washington notary language as short form certificates. They are sufficient for the purposes indicated, including an acknowledgment by an individual, an acknowledgment for another party, an oath, and a certified copy.[1.2] Create a free Washington notary acknowledgement form online below, or download it as a PDF, Word or OpenDocument file.
Last Updated: October 2026. This guide is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current Washington law. If you notice an error or outdated information, please contact us.
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The Washington notary rules for acknowledgements sit in Chapter 42.45 of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW). Section 42.45.140 lists the short form certificates, and each one is sufficient for its purpose if completed with the information required by RCW 42.45.130 (1) through (4) and 42.45.280.[1.2]
Section 42.45.130 adds a rule for the stamp. If a notarial act regarding a tangible record is performed by a notary public, an official stamp must be affixed to or embossed on the certificate.[1.1]
You can read the full text of Chapter 42.45 RCW on the Washington State Legislature website. The Department of Licensing also lists guides for notaries on its notaries public resources page.
The Washington notary language for an individual acknowledgment is the short form in Wash. Rev. Code § 42.45.140. It names the state and county and says the record was acknowledged before the notary public on a stated date by the named individuals. It ends with the notary's signature, stamp, title of office and commission expiry date.[1.2]
For an acknowledgment in an individual capacity: State of ....... County of ....... This record was acknowledged before me on (date) by (name(s) of individuals) . . . . . (Signature of notary public) (Stamp) . . . . (Title of office) My commission expires: . . . .
The individual short form has blanks for:
Washington law also lists short forms for five other notarial acts. Each one has the state and county at the top and the notary's signature, stamp, title of office and commission expiry date at the bottom.[1.2]
| Notarial act | What the certificate says |
|---|---|
| Individual acknowledgment | The record was acknowledged before the notary on a stated date by the named individuals. |
| Representative acknowledgment | The same wording, with the individuals acting as (type of authority, such as officer or trustee) of (name of party on behalf of whom record was executed). |
| Verification on oath or affirmation | The statement was signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before the notary on a stated date by the individuals making it. |
| Witnessing or attesting a signature | The record was signed or attested before the notary on a stated date by the named individuals. |
| Certifying or attesting a copy | I certify that this is a true and correct copy of a record in the possession of a named person, with a date. |
| Certifying an event | I certify that the event described in this document has occurred or been performed, with a date. |
Getting a document notarized in Washington usually takes one short visit to a notary public. The steps below walk you through that visit. The next section shows how the FormsPal form is filled in.
An electronic records notary public located in Washington may also perform a notarial act using communication technology for a remotely located individual (RCW 42.45.280).[2.1]
In Washington, every deed must be in writing, signed by the party bound by it, and acknowledged before a person authorized to take acknowledgments (RCW 64.04.020).[3.1] A power of attorney must be signed and dated by the principal, whose signature must be either acknowledged before a notary public or other individual authorized by law to take acknowledgments, or attested by two or more competent witnesses who meet the conditions in RCW 11.125.050.[4.1]
The FormsPal Washington notary acknowledgement template is a one-page form with a single acknowledgment certificate. Create it online in a few minutes, or download it as a PDF, Word or OpenDocument file and complete it with the step below. To type into the PDF, you can use our online PDF editor.
The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Washington 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.
For an acknowledgment in an individual capacity, the Washington short form reads "This record was acknowledged before me on (date) by (name(s) of individuals)". The notary public then adds a signature, a stamp, the title of office and the commission expiry date.[1.2]
Start with the state and county. Then enter the date and the name of each individual who acknowledged the record. The notary public completes the certificate with a signature, a stamp, the title of office and the commission expiry date, as the individual short form in Wash. Rev. Code § 42.45.140 shows.[1.2]
General information, not legal or tax advice.
