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Notarial Certificate Requirements for an Apostille

The notarial certificate on a document going to Türkiye: what US state offices require of the notary's wording, signature and stamp.

The notarial certificate is the part of a notarized document where the notary states what was done, for example that a signature was acknowledged, and signs and stamps it. For a power of attorney or affidavit going to Türkiye, this is the part the state apostille office reads most closely.

What the offices require

Pennsylvania requires the certificate of notarial act to be worded and completed in English. Washington requires a notary certificate that is complete, signed and stamped by a Washington State notary public. Maine requires a notarial statement to be included on the document or attached to it.

Florida uses the term in another sense: its Division of Corporations names the apostille and the notarial certificate together and describes obtaining either as a two-step process for vital records, involving the Bureau of Vital Statistics and the Division of Corporations.

Before signing

Check the notary's wording against your state's requirement before you sign, especially if the document itself is drafted in Turkish.

The table lists the states and their sources. After the apostille, we translate the document into Turkish in Ankara through sworn translators.

Where the term appears in official sources

JurisdictionCompetent authoritySource
FloridaFlorida Department of State, Division of Corporationswww.floridahealth.gov
PennsylvaniaPennsylvania Department of State (Secretary of the Commonwealth), Office of Notaries, Commissions and Legislationwww.pa.gov
WashingtonWashington Office of the Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division (Apostilles Program)www.sos.wa.gov
MaineMaine Secretary of State (Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions)www.maine.gov