Certificates
When performing notarizations, part of your job as a Notary Public is to ALWAYS complete the notarial certificate. The notarial certificate is the wording, usually at the end of a document, which identifies the steps a notary public has performed in witnessing a signature. (Below are sample notarial certificates for the three most common types of notarizations).
Iowa notarial law allows a notary public to attach a notarial certificate to a document. In other words, the wording of the notarial certificate is not required to be a part of the original text of the document. Because Iowa notarial law allows you to attach a notarial certificate, you may use the sample certificates below to perform notarizations. Simply type in the information required for the stamp, print the certificate out, complete the notarial certificate by supplying the appropriate information, and attaching it to the document you are notarizing.
Remember: Iowa law does not require you to use a journal, but if you are using this method of performing notarizations, it is highly recommended you keep a journal to document the fact that a notarial certificate was attached.