The completion of a notarial certificate is authorized for which person?

• A. The signer
• B. A witness
• C. Only the notary
• D. The signer’s attorney

Answer: (C)

The notarial certificate is the official attestation of the notarization, and the authority to complete it rests with the notary who performs the act. In Maryland, the notary is the public officer empowered to administer oaths or take acknowledgments and to certify that the notarization occurred. The signer’s role is to sign the document and, if required, to appear before the notary, but the act of certifying—filling in the certificate, dating it, and affixing the seal—is done by the notary. A witness or the signer’s attorney does not have authority to complete the certificate, unless they are serving as the notary themselves.