The certificate of acknowledgment (PDF) must be in the form set forth in California Civil Code section 1189. An acknowledgment is one of the most common types of notarial acts, but it often confuses Notaries.Here are 5 steps to performing an acknowledgment. In today's video I'm going to show you how to complete a California Acknowledgement and a California Giraffe. You can use a stamp. You can fill out the PDF form available directly from the SOS's website. Acknowledgments and jurats are different notarizations with different purposes, each requires its own certificate wording. WITNESS my hand and official seal. Signature. (Seal). A notary public or other officer completing this certificate verifies only the identity of the individual. This 5-step guide will teach you how to notarize a document that requires an acknowledgement (the most common notarial act).