Does a Florida Certificate of Trust Need to be Notarized?

No, a Florida certificate of trust does not need to be notarized. However, it should be signed by a trustee.

What is a Florida certificate of trust?

A Florida certificate of trust in an abbreviated version of the trust document. The certificate of trust can be used by a trustee when attempting to prove to another party that a trust exists and that the trustee is, in fact, a trustee who is authorized to carry out a specific action. It allows the trustee to prove the trust exists without having to carry around a giant declaration of trust and more importantly, without disclosing the complete contents of that trust to third parties. Thus, a certificate of trust is used both for convenience and as a means to keep the trust document private.

Is a notary needed for a Florida certificate of trust?

No, you do not need a notary to create a certificate of trust. The requirements of Florida certificates of trust are found in section 736.1017 of the Florida Statutes. Notarization is never mentioned as a requirement. However, the document does need to be signed (or otherwise authenticated) by a trustee. Because of this signature requirement, it can be useful to notarize the certificate, even though it is not required. The notarization makes it more likely that third parties will accept the document as valid. Thus, notarization is not a requirement for Florida certificates of trust, but it is often a good idea to get the certificate notarized anyway.