The certificate of acknowledgment (PDF) must be in the form set forth in California Civil Code section 1189. WITNESS my hand and official seal. Signature. (Seal).A notary public or other officer completing this certificate verifies only the identity of the individual. 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. A complete notary acknowledgment includes the name(s) of the parties that the notary witnessed sign the document. To obtain a Notary Acknowledgement in California, prepare your document, find a Notary Public and attend the notary appointment. Any acknowledgment completed in California must contain verbiage exactly as appears above in the notary section or a separate acknowledgment form must be.