a notary’s duty is to be a neutral witness to the signing of documents. oaths and affirmations are both pledges sworn to before a notary public attesting to the truth of a given statement. when a signer appears and signs a document before a notary, the notary has witnessed a signature. for every other type of notarization, state law requires that the signer appear in the physical presence of the notary. of a credible witness personally appearing before the notary. as with all notarial acts, the notary must fully record the notarization in their journal and that journal entry is sufficient. a certificate is your testimony about the type of notarial act you have completed. documents originating from another state may be notarized as long as you perform the notarial act in colorado and the signer appears before you.