# Acknowledgment (law)

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In [law](/source/law), an '''acknowledgment''' is a declaration or avowal of one's own act, used to authenticate [legal instrument](/source/legal_instrument)s, which may give the instrument legal validity, and works to prevent the recording of false instruments or fraudulent executions. Acknowledgment involves a public official, frequently a [notary public](/source/notary_public). The party executing the legal instrument orally declares that the instrument is his or her act or deed, and the official prepares a certificate attesting to the declaration.<ref>{{cite book|last=Grossman|first=Elanor L.|title=American Jurisprudence|date=February 2013|publisher=West|edition=2nd|volume=1|at=§ 1|chapter=Acknowledgments|id=1 [Am. Jur. 2d](/source/Am._Jur._2d) ''Acknowledgments'' § 1–2}}</ref>

Acknowledgments are distinct from ''[jurat](/source/Jurat_(clause))s'', ''[verification](/source/verification_(law))s'', and ''attestations''. A jurat differs from an acknowledgment in that a jurat lacks the statement that the instrument is the act or deed of the party executing it. A verification is distinct in that it seeks to verify the factual contents of the instrument, rather than the instrument itself. Finally, an attestation occurs where a third person gives his or her name as a witness to the actual execution of an instrument.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kennel|first=John R.|title=Corpus Juris Secundum|date=March 2013|publisher=West|volume=1|chapter=Acknowledgments|at=§ 1|id=1 [C.J.S.](/source/C.J.S.) ''Acknowledgments'' § 1}}</ref> Normally, acknowledgments only serve [evidentiary](/source/evidence) purposes, but some jurisdictions have made acknowledgment a requirement for [recording](/source/Recording_(real_estate)) of instruments.<ref>{{harv|Kennel|2013|at=§ 2}}</ref>

==See also==
* [List of real estate topics](/source/List_of_real_estate_topics)

== References ==
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Category:Legal terminology
Category:Real property law

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