eForms Logo

Washington Notary Acknowledgment Form

Create a high-quality document now!

Washington Notary Acknowledgment Form

Updated September 01, 2023

A Washington notary acknowledgment form is used to officially authenticate a signature on a legal document. It also declares that the signing individual is the person whose name appears within the instrument and that they have signed for the purpose(s) mentioned therein. This process makes it significantly more difficult for imposters to forge signatures on documents of great importance such as mortgages, living trusts, and deeds. All acknowledgment forms must be completed by the notary with requesting parties present. Signatures are only considered authenticated once the acknowledgment form has been completed, signed, and stamped by the notary.

Laws § 42.45.140

Notary Handbook – A resource for notaries that describes the State required notarial procedures. This information is prudent for acknowledgments, oaths, and affirmations, witnessing or attesting to signatures, and other related information.

How to Notarize in Washington (6 steps)

  1. Find Notary
  2. Prepare Paperwork
  3. Take Documents
  4. Show ID
  5. Swear Oath
  6. Process Finalized

1. Find Notary

Locating a notary public in Washington is the first step in getting a document notarized. Notaries can commonly be found at the following places:

2. Prepare Paperwork

Unlike some states, Washington law allows notaries to authenticate signatures that have been provided without the notary being present. Therefore, you may complete your documents fully before bringing them to the notary, with or without the signature fields filled in.

3. Take Documents

Take your prepared documents to the notary and he/she will examine them. Note that depending on where you notarize your documents, you may be required to pay a fee for the service.

4. Show ID

Unless you are personally known to the notary, you will be required to identify yourself by showing your current government-issued photo ID. Alternatively, a credible witness known to the notary may make an oath or affirmation attesting to your identity. You will then be required to sign your documents in front of the notary, or if pre-signed, declare that your signature is indeed your own.

5. Swear Oath

Once your documents have been signed, the notary will ask whether or not you signed voluntarily and for the reason(s) stated within the document.

6. Process Finalized

If the notary believes that you have properly identified yourself and that your signature has been provided voluntarily, the notary will complete the acknowledgment form to authenticate your signature. Your documents will be returned shortly after and the process will be finalized.

Verify a Notary in Washington (3 steps)

Washington State requires individuals to login securely with an account in order to search and view details about professional licenses including notaries public. If you do not already have an account, the Washington State Department of Licensing offers pdf instructions that will help you create one. After you have completed the process, you will have access to their Business and Professional Licenses search system.

Step 1

Once logged into the Washington State Department of Licensing website, find the Home page and click License Lookup from the main navigation bar at the top of the page.

You will be redirected to the License Lookup page.

Step 2

Select “Notary Public” from the “Profession” drop-down menu.

If you want to search by license number, enter the number and click Search.

If you would like to search using other criteria, click the Advanced Search with License Details button. This will give you the option to search by name, city, county, and license status. Select “Notary Public” from the “License Type” drop-down menu. Then fill in the criteria you wish to use and click Search.

Step 3

Your search results will be provided on the following page. Scroll through the list of notaries and select one (1) of the names to view more information about their license.

How to Write (For Notary)

Step 1 – The Washington notary acknowledgment form can be downloaded in PDF (.pdf), Microsoft Word (.docx), and Open Document Text (.odt).

Step 2 – Enter the name of the county in the first available field. Below that, provide the name of the individual whose signature is being authenticated as well as the date. The notary may finalize the form by supplying their seal/stamp, signature, title, and appointment expiration date.