1. For every notarial act involving a document, a notary shall properly complete a notarial certificate that contains or states:

(1) The official signature of the notary, in accordance with section 486.725;

Terms Used In Missouri Laws 486.740

  • certificate: the part of, or attachment to, a notarized document that, in the performance of the notarization, is completed by the notary, bears the notary's official signature and seal, and states the date, venue, and facts attested by the notary in the particular notarial act. See Missouri Laws 486.600
  • County: any of the several counties of this state or the City of St. See Missouri Laws 486.600
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • notary: any person commissioned to perform notarial acts pursuant to this chapter. See Missouri Laws 486.600
  • Official signature: a handwritten signature made by a notary that uses the exact name appearing in the notary's commission and is signed with the intent to perform a notarial act. See Missouri Laws 486.600
  • State: when applied to any of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" includes such district and territories. See Missouri Laws 1.020
  • Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.

(2) An impression of the official seal of the notary, in accordance with section 486.725;

(3) The venue of the notarial act where the notary is located, including the name of this state and of the pertinent county;

(4) The date of the notarial act; and

(5) The facts and particulars attested by the notary in performing the respective notarial act.

2. A notarial certificate shall be sufficient for a particular notarial act only if it meets the requirements of subsection 1 of this section and is in a form that:

(1) Is set forth for that act in this chapter;

(2) Is otherwise prescribed for that act by the laws of this state;

(3) Is prescribed for that act by a law, regulation, or custom of another jurisdiction, provided it does not require actions by the notary that are unauthorized by the laws of this state; or

(4) Describes the actions of the notary in such a manner as to meet the requirements of the particular notarial act.

3. A notarial certificate shall be worded and completed using only letters, characters, and a language that are read, written, and understood by the notary.

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