Which element must be identified or described near the acknowledgment or jurat to indicate what is being notarized?

• A. Jurisdiction
• B. Document
• C. Signature
• D. Date

Answer: (B)

Identify the document being notarized near the acknowledgment or jurat. This ties the notarial certificate to a specific instrument, preventing confusion when multiple papers are involved. The certificate should describe or reference the exact document being sworn to or acknowledged, such as referring to it as “the foregoing instrument” or “the document described as [type of instrument], dated [date].”

Other elements serve different purposes: jurisdiction shows the notary’s authority location, the signer’s signature is part of the act being witnessed, and the date records when the notarization occurred. But none of these alone identifies which document is being notarized, so describing the document itself near the acknowledgment or jurat is essential.