AFFIRM
To make a solemn, formal declaration under the penalty of perjury that certain statements are true. An affirmation is legally equivalent to an
... [Show More] oath and may be substituted for an oath when a document requires an oath for its execution, i.e., an affidavit.
APOSTILLE
A certificate of notarial authority issued by the Secretary of the Commonwealth for notarized documents being sent out of Pennsylvania to those countries who are parties to the international treaty commonly known as the Hague Convention.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
A formal declaration before an authorized individual (a notary public) by a person signing an instrument that such execution is his or her free act and deed. The term also refers to the notary's certificate on the document indicating that it was so acknowledged.
ADMINISTER
To discharge the duties of an office; to give (as in the giving of an oath).
AFFIDAVIT
A written statement of facts made voluntarily and confirmed by the oath or affirmation of the party making it before an individual authorized to administer oaths, i.e., a notary public.
AFFIX
To attach or impress the notary seal to a document.
ATTEST
To bear witness to or to certify.
CERTIFIED COPY
A copy of a document or record, signed and certified as a true copy by the public official who has custody of the original record. NOTE: A notary may make an "attested photocopy," but not a certified copy. A certified copy is not the same as an original document.
COMMISSION
The term used for the length of time you are appointed as a notary public by the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
CUSTODIAN OF THE DOCUMENT
The person who has charge or custody of the document. In the case of making an attested photocopy, the "document's custodian" is the person presenting the document, who may or may not be the document signer.
DEPONENT
The person giving testimony in a deposition.
DEPOSITION
The testimony of a witness, under oath or affirmation, taken outside of court in which lawyers ask oral questions of the witness. The testimony is usually reduced to writing and duly authenticated and is intended to be used in a trial of a civil action or a criminal prosecution.
EXECUTE A DOCUMENT
To perform all formalities necessary to make a document fully effective; often a matter of signing, but may require delivery or other elements. [Show Less]