# What Is an Acknowledgment? Notarial Definition, Use, and Form in the Philippines


An **acknowledgment** is a notarial act in which a person (the principal) personally appears before a notary public and declares that they signed a document voluntarily and for the purposes stated in it. It is one of the most common notarial acts in the Philippines and is required for documents that convey rights, transfer property, or grant authority to act on someone's behalf.

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## What an Acknowledgment Does

When a notary public takes an acknowledgment, the notary certifies three things:

1. The principal **personally appeared** before the notary
2. The principal was **identified** through [competent evidence of identity](/glossary/competent-evidence-of-identity/)
3. The principal **acknowledged** that they signed the document freely and voluntarily

The notary does **not** certify that the contents of the document are true -- only that the signer admitted signing it of their own free will.

## When an Acknowledgment Is Required

Under Philippine law, an acknowledgment is the standard notarial act for documents that:

- Transfer or affect real property -- [Deeds of Sale](/glossary/deed-of-sale/), mortgages, leases over one year
- Grant authority to another person -- [Special Powers of Attorney](/glossary/special-power-of-attorney/), general powers of attorney
- Constitute corporate acts -- [board resolutions](/glossary/board-resolution/) for certain bank or government filings, [secretary's certificates](/glossary/secretarys-certificate/)
- Create or modify obligations -- promissory notes, deeds of assignment, contracts to sell

For statements of fact under oath, a [jurat](/glossary/jurat/) is used instead. The two are often confused; see [acknowledgment vs. jurat](/compare/acknowledgment-vs-jurat/) for the practical difference.

## Standard Form of Acknowledgment

The 2004 Rules on Notarial Practice prescribe a standard acknowledgment certificate:

> Republic of the Philippines )
> _____________________________ ) S.S.
>
> BEFORE ME, a Notary Public for and in the City of __________, this _____ day of __________ 20___, personally appeared **[Name]**, with [competent evidence of identity] consisting of __________ issued on __________ at __________, known to me to be the same person who executed the foregoing instrument, who acknowledged before me that the same is his/her free and voluntary act and deed.

The certificate is then dated, signed, and sealed by the notary, and entered in the [notarial book](/glossary/notarial-book/).

## Acknowledgment in E-Notarization

Under [A.M. No. 24-10-14-SC](/glossary/am-no-24-10-14-sc/), an [electronic notary public](/glossary/electronic-notary-public/) can take an acknowledgment electronically -- either in person ([IEN](/glossary/in-person-electronic-notarization/)) or by audiovisual conference ([REN](/glossary/remote-electronic-notarization/)). The principal applies an [electronic signature](/glossary/electronic-signature/), the notary applies an [electronic notarial seal](/glossary/electronic-notarial-seal/), and the act is recorded in the electronic [notarial book](/glossary/notarial-book/) and the SC's central database.

## Common Mistakes

- Treating an acknowledgment as proof that the document's contents are true -- it is not
- Acknowledging by representative -- only the principal who signed can acknowledge
- Missing or incorrect [competent evidence of identity](/glossary/competent-evidence-of-identity/)
- Using an acknowledgment when a [jurat](/glossary/jurat/) is required (or vice versa)

For background on why properly executed acknowledgments matter for fraud prevention, see [SC rulings on fraudulent notarial seals](/sc-rulings-on-fraudulent-notarial-seals-and-signatures-shows-why-e-notarization-is-the-future/).

## Related Terms

- [Jurat](/glossary/jurat/)
- [Notary Public](/glossary/notary-public/)
- [Competent Evidence of Identity](/glossary/competent-evidence-of-identity/)
- [Special Power of Attorney](/glossary/special-power-of-attorney/)
- [E-Notarization](/glossary/e-notarization/)

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[NotarialOS](https://notarialos.com) is a leading SC-accredited Electronic Notarization Facility -- supporting acknowledgments, jurats, and copy certifications under A.M. No. 24-10-14-SC.