A certification of trust is a summary document a trustee may present to a bank, title company, lender, or other transaction recipient instead of providing the entire trust instrument in situations allowed by applicable law. SafeNotarize can notarize eligible trustee signatures on a completed certification but does not create or verify the trust.
A certification of trust—sometimes called a trust certificate or certificate of trust—is a document stating selected facts about an existing trust. It may identify the trust, settlor, current trustee, trustee powers, revocability, cotrustee signing authority, and the manner in which trust property is titled. The required content varies by state and transaction.
The certification is not the complete trust agreement and generally is not a substitute for every trust record. A recipient may request excerpts, amendments, identity documents, resolutions, or its own certification form. A certification is also different from a sworn affidavit unless it contains a jurat or sworn statement.
SafeNotarize does not prepare certifications, review the trust, determine trustee powers, confirm that amendments are complete, or provide estate, tax, banking, or legal advice. We notarize eligible signatures on a completed document.
A currently acting trustee normally signs the certification in an individual name while indicating representative capacity, such as “Jane Doe, Trustee.” If there are cotrustees, the trust, state law, certification, or recipient may determine whether one, several, or all must sign. The notary does not decide who has authority.
The signer is an individual even when acting for a trust. The notarial certificate may identify representative capacity, but notarization does not prove the trust exists, that the signer is the valid trustee, or that the trustee has the stated power. The recipient may separately review trust excerpts or institutional records.
Witnesses are not universally required for a certification of trust. They may be requested by a particular form, transaction, or jurisdiction. Follow the prepared document and recipient instructions.
Each signing trustee should prepare acceptable government-issued photo identification. The individual name on the ID should be reasonably consistent with the signer name. The trust name, execution date, trustee title, and property or account information should match the records used for the transaction.
Review the acceptable ID guide. Before the session, check all statements, dates, trustee addresses, cotrustee provisions, attachments, signature blocks, acknowledgments or jurats, and recipient-specific language. The notary cannot fill in missing trust facts.
Review the completed document and recipient instructions before the online session.
Confirm current trustees, successor appointments, resignations, and amendments before presenting the certification.
The trust is not the person appearing before the notary. The individual trustee signs in the required representative capacity.
A bank or title company may require its own certification, date range, excerpts, or wet-ink original.
Identity verification and notarization do not prove trustee status, trust validity, or transaction authority.
SafeNotarize can notarize eligible trustee signatures on a completed certification of trust in a secure live online session. Each signer completes identity verification, uploads the final document, and signs or acknowledges the signature as required by the notarial certificate.
SafeNotarize notarizes signatures. We do not prepare the certification, review the trust instrument, authenticate corporate or trust records, determine trustee powers, or provide legal, estate, tax, banking, or investment advice. Requirements vary by state and recipient.
Florida’s trust code, for example, identifies information that may appear in a certification of trust and permits recipients to request certain excerpts. Customers should use the rules and recipient requirements applicable to their own transaction. Explore the Document Library and POA hub for related authority resources.
Important: SafeNotarize notarizes signatures. We do not prepare estate-planning documents or provide legal advice. Requirements vary by state and receiving organization, online notarization availability varies, and acceptance by courts, hospitals, financial institutions, agencies, or other recipients is not guaranteed.
Current SafeNotarize pricing for a completed document presented for an eligible online notarization.
Basic Session: $25, including 1 signer and 2 notarization stamps.
International Session: $35, including 1 signer and 2 stamps.
Add-ons: Additional signers are $10 each, extra stamps are $5 each, and a SafeNotarize-provided witness is $15 each. A customer-provided witness does not add the SafeNotarize witness fee. The final estimate depends on the active session selections.
Start Online NotarizationConfirm the trustee signatures, recipient form, identification, and supporting-record requirements before booking.
