Other JP Services

 

Seed Pods• Witness or Attest a Signature

A Justice of the Peace is authorized to witness a signature. Witnessing a signature is also referred to as attesting a signature. In order for a Justice of the Peace to witness a signature, the person named in the document must appear before the Justice and sign the document in the Justice’s presence. The Justice’s certification that he or she witnessed a signature provides evidence that the document was actually signed on the date of the certification. This is different from an acknowledgement, which may have been signed on a date prior to the person appearing before the Justice of the Peace to acknowledge the signature.

• Administer Oaths and Affirmations

A Justice of the Peace is authorized to administer oaths and affirmations. An oath is "a solemn declaration or promise made with an appeal or sense of responsibility towards God for truth of what is being stated". An affirmation is "a pledge equivalent to an oath but without reference to a supreme being or to swearing".

• Take Verifications Upon Oath or AffirmationCrab Apples

A verification upon oath or affirmation is a declaration by a person under oath or affirmation, made in front of a Justice of the Peace, that his or her written statement is true. The Justice of the Peace’s certification that a person has made a verification upon oath or affirmation is referred to as a jurat. A jurat is required anytime a person must swear to the truth of the contents of a document, such as for an affidavit and certain court documents. In executing a jurat, a Justice of the Peace is confirming that the person appeared before the Justice, was given an oath or affirmation by the Justice, attested to the truthfulness of the document, and signed the document in the Justice's presence.

frogCertify and Attest a Copy

Certifying a copy, also referred to as attesting a copy, is a Notorial act in which a Justice of the Peace or other authorized official certifies that a photocopy, or other type of copy of a document, is a true and accurate reproduction of the original document. In certifying or attesting a copy of a document, the Justice of the Peace must determine that the proffered copy is a full, true, and accurate transcription or reproduction of the original.