LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS:

I, ____name of testator_____ , Filipino citizen, of legal age, single/married to ___insert name of
spouse if any___, born on the ____th of ______________, ____ , a resident of __insert address__ ,
being of sound and disposing mind and memory, and not acting under undue influence or
intimidation from anyone, do hereby declare and proclaim this instrument to be my Last Will
and Testament, in English, the language which I am well conversant. And I hereby declare that:
I. I desire that should I die, it is my wish to be buried according to the rites of the
Roman Catholic Church and interred at our family mausoleum in Manila;
II. To my beloved wife _____name of wife_____, I give and bequeath the following
property to wit:_________________________ ;
III. To my esteemed children, ________________________ and ______________________I
give and bequeath the following properties to wit:_______________________________ in
equal shares;
IV. To my dear brother, __________________________I give and bequeath the following
properties to wit:_______________________________.
V. To my loyal assistant, __________________________I give and bequeath the following
properties to wit:_______________________________.
VI. I hereby designate ____name of executor_____ the executor and administrator of
this Last Will and Testament, and in his incapacity, I name and designate
_____________________ as his substitute.
VII. I hereby direct that the executor and administrator of this Last Will and
Testament or his substitute need not present any bond;
VIII. I hereby revoke, set aside and annul any and all of my other will or
testamentary dispositions that I have made, executed, signed or published preceding
this Last Will and Testament.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto affixed my signature this ________ day of
_____________, 20__, in ________________, Philippines.

_______________________________________
(Signature of Testator over Printed Name)

ATTESTATION CLAUSE

We, the undersigned attesting witnesses, do hereby affirm that the forgoing is the last Will and
Testament of ___name of testator___ and we certify that the testator executed this document
while of sound mind and memory. That the testator signed this document in our presence, at
the bottom of the last page and on the left hand margin of each and every page, and we, in
turn, at the testator's behest have witnessed and signed the same in every page thereof, on the
left margin, in the presence of the testator and of the notary public, this _____ day of
__________, 20__ at____________.

______________________________
Signature of Witness

____________________________________________
Address

______________________________
Signature of Witness

____________________________________________
Address

______________________________
Signature of Witness

____________________________________________
Address

JOINT ACKNOWLEDGMENT
BEFORE ME, Notary Public for and in the city of ________________, personally appeared:

The testator ________________, with CTC No. __________ issued at ___________ on ____________;
Witness, ___________________, with CTC No. __________ issued at ___________ on ____________;
Witness, ___________________, with CTC No. __________ issued at ___________ on ____________;
Witness, ___________________, with CTC No. __________ issued at ___________ on ____________;

all known to me to be the same persons who executed the foregoing Will, the first as testator
and the last three as instrumental witnesses, and they respectively acknowledged to me that
the same as their own free act and deed.
This Last Will and Testament consists of __ page/s, including the page on which this
acknowledgment is written, and has been signed on the left margin of each and every page
thereof by the testator and his witnesses, and sealed with my notarial seal.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand the day, year, and place above written.

Notary Public
Doc. No. _____;
Page No._____;
Book No._____;
Series of 20__.

Acknowledgement vs. Jurat What's the Difference?

Acknowledgement and jurat certificates are the two most common notarial acts, yet there is
confusion about the difference between these forms for many signers. Some notaries even find it
difficult to remember which procedures apply to which certificate.
Jurats

A jurat is used when the signer is swearing to the content of the document. The notary must
administer an oath or affirmation to the signer in order to complete the jurat. A jurat also requires
that the signer signs in the presence of the notary. It is possible to glean this information from the
jurat certificate its self. The wording states Subscribed and sworn to before me subscribed
meaning signed and sworn meaning that an oral oath or affirmation was given. Before me
means that both were done in the presence of the notary public.
Acknowledgements

An acknowledgement is used to verify the identity of the signer and to confirm that they signed
the document. They are not swearing to the truthfulness or validity of the document, they are
simply acknowledging that they signed the document. For an acknowledgement in the state of
California, a signer is not required to sign the document in the presence of the notary public, but
they are required to personally appear in front of the notary to confirm their signature.
While it is important for a notary to understand the difference between the two, California
notaries public are not allowed to determine which type of certificate a signer uses. To do so
would be considered practicing law without a license. A Notary can only ask the signer which
form they prefer; if they don't know, the notary will refer them to the originator of the document
for an answer.
Jurat vs Acknowledgement
These are two main types of notary certificates which may be attached to a
document which lacks a notary section or which may contain a notary section
language which is not permitted or outdated. Notaries public in most states are not
permitted to recommend which form to use but may present a sample for the signer
to choose from. When in doubt it never hurts to include both.
Acknowledgement

An acknowledgment certificate indicates that the signer:

a) personally appeared before the Notary,
b) was identified by the Notary, and
c) acknowledged to the Notary that the document was freely signed.

Contrary to popular belief, documents requiring acknowledgments do not need to be signed in

the notarys presence in most states even though the latter would be highly preferred whenever
possible.
The confusion comes from the fact that the signer must appear before the Notary at the time of
notarization to acknowledge that he or she freely signed for the purposes stated in the document.
Jurat

Documents requiring a jurat must be signed in the Notarys presence, as dictated by the typical
jurat wording, Subscribed (signed) and sworn to before me
In executing a jurat, a notary guarantees that the signer:
a) personally appeared before the notary,
b) was given an oath or affirmation by the notary, and finally
c) signed in the Notarys presence.
While it is important for a notary to understand the difference between an acknowledgment and a
jurat, notaries public are not allowed to determine which type of certificate a signer uses. To do
so would be considered practicing law without a license.
A notary can only ask the signer which form they prefer. If they dont know, the notary will refer
them to the source of the document for an answer.
An alternative for a signer who cannot ascertain which certificate to use would be to ask the
notary to affix both types which is a perfectly acceptable request.
To summarize, the key difference between a jurat vs acknowledgment is that the former is used
primarily when dealing with sworn statements and the latter typically applies to documents that
must be signed in front of an unbiased independent witness aka the notary. To book an
appointment instantly or to get a quote please click here.

(Acknowledgment for and in behalf of a Corporation)

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES)
CITY/MUNICIPALITY OF ______) SS.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
BEFORE ME, a Notary Public for and in the (Province/City/Municipality) of _____________
this __date__ personally appeared _____________ with Community Tax Certificate No.
_____________ issued on _____________ at _____________ representing to be the __position
in the corporation__ of __(name of corporation)__ with Community Tax Certificate No.
_____________ issued on _____________ at _____________ and Tax Identification No. (T.I.N.)
_____________, known to me and to me known to be the same person who executed the
foregoing instrument for and in behalf of said corporation, and (he/she) acknowledged to me that
the same is the free and voluntary corporate act and deed of __(name of corporation__.
This Instrument consists of only ______ (____) page/s, including this page in which this
Acknowledgement is written, duly signed by _____________ and his instrumental witnesses on
each and every page hereof.
WITNESS MY HAND AND SEAL this _____________ at _____________, Philippines.
NOTARY PUBLIC
Doc. No. ______;
Page No. ______;
Book No. ______;
Series of ______;