In law

Law

Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...

, an acknowledgment is a declaration or avowal of one's own act, to give it legal validity, such as the acknowledgment of a deed

Deed

A deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, or affirms or confirms something which passes, an interest, right, or property and that is signed, attested, delivered, and in some jurisdictions sealed...

 before a proper officer. The term also refers to the certificate of the officer attesting such declaration.

In New York, an acknowledgment is defined as "executed in the manner required for a deed to be recorded", the same as a conveyance of title

Title (property)

Title is a legal term for a bundle of rights in a piece of property in which a party may own either a legal interest or an equitable interest. The rights in the bundle may be separated and held by different parties. It may also refer to a formal document that serves as evidence of ownership...

 to real property

Real property

In English Common Law, real property, real estate, realty, or immovable property is any subset of land that has been legally defined and the improvements to it made by human efforts: any buildings, machinery, wells, dams, ponds, mines, canals, roads, various property rights, and so forth...

. The acceptable language is:

Before me, the undersigned authority, personally appeared .........., who produced .................. as identification, and who acknowledged before me that they executed the foregoing instrument as their voluntary act and deed. In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal this ........ day of ..................

See also

• List of real estate topics
• Notary Public
  Notary public
  A notary public in the common law world is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business...
  
  
• Jurat
  Jurat
  Jurat is the name given to the clause at the foot of an affidavit showing when, where, and before whom the actual oath was sworn or affirmation was made....