true or false? When performing an acknowledgment, a Notary must ask all signers to formally raise their right hand and officially declare their identity before the Notary?

ANSWER: False. When performing an acknowledgment, the signer must personally appear before the Notary, provide proof of identity as defined under state law, and acknowledge that they willingly signed the document before the Notary — but isn’t required to perform a ceremony of raising hands or speaking prescribed phrases. It is when completing a jurat (a different type of notarial act that involves a spoken promise to tell the truth) that a Notary typically asks a signer to raise their hand and recite a formal oath or affirmation. Notaries may also administer oral oaths or affirmations that do not involve written documents as a separate notarial act.