Occasionally, a notary may be asked to “notarize” a photograph.  Please be aware that certifying or notarizing photographs is not an authorized notarial act under Florida law.

The notary may, however, notarize a person’s signature on a written statement concerning the photograph.  For example, if John Doe wants to certify that the person in a particular photograph is John Doe, he could sign a sworn written statement stating that the photograph is of John Doe. The notary could then notarize his signature on that statement in the same way that you notarize any sworn written statement.  His statement could be made on the back of the photograph or on a separate paper to be attached to the photograph.

Keep in mind that a notary should not certify or attest that the person in the photograph is John Doe.  Rather, the notary should certify that the statement concerning the photograph was signed and sworn to in your presence by John Doe. This is accomplished by using the standard notarial certificate (jurat) provided in the Florida Statutes for oaths.