{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/55.1-631.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/55.1-631.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/55.1-631.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/55.1-631.html"}],"law_id":78570,"edition_id":1,"section_id":78570,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-631","catch_line":"Certain acknowledgments taken and certified before July 1, 1995","history":"1968, c. 297, \u00a7 55-125.1; 1972, c. 631; 1976, c. 685; 1984, c. 35; 1989, c. 602; 1995, c. 48; 2019, c. 712.","full_text":"All certificates of acknowledgments to deeds and other writings taken and certified prior to July 1, 1995, by commissioners of deeds of states other than the Commonwealth, appointed or commissioned by the governor of such state, and by notaries public appointed or commissioned by the Governor of the Commonwealth, or appointed or commissioned under the laws of any state other than the Commonwealth, or any other officer authorized under this chapter to take and certify acknowledgments of deeds and other writings, that omit the citation of the date of the deed or certificate where it is clear from the content of the entire certificate and the instrument that has been acknowledged that the identity of the instrument or the certificate is the same, or if it can reasonably be inferred from the certificate of the person recording the instrument or other writing that the certificate refers to the same instrument, shall be held and are hereby declared valid and effective in all respects if otherwise valid according to the law then in force, or otherwise appear valid upon their face, and all such deeds and other writings that have been recorded in any clerk’s office in the Commonwealth upon such certificates shall be held to be duly and regularly recorded if such recordation is otherwise valid according to the law then in force.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":281574,"text":"All certificates of acknowledgments to deeds and other writings taken and certified prior to July 1, 1995, by commissioners of deeds of states other than the Commonwealth, appointed or commissioned by the governor of such state, and by notaries public appointed or commissioned by the Governor of the Commonwealth, or appointed or commissioned under the laws of any state other than the Commonwealth, or any other officer authorized under this chapter to take and certify acknowledgments of deeds and other writings, that omit the citation of the date of the deed or certificate where it is clear from the content of the entire certificate and the instrument that has been acknowledged that the identity of the instrument or the certificate is the same, or if it can reasonably be inferred from the certificate of the person recording the instrument or other writing that the certificate refers to the same instrument, shall be held and are hereby declared valid and effective in all respects if otherwise valid according to the law then in force, or otherwise appear valid upon their face, and all such deeds and other writings that have been recorded in any clerk’s office in the Commonwealth upon such certificates shall be held to be duly and regularly recorded if such recordation is otherwise valid according to the law then in force.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":13526,"edition_id":1,"name":"Validating Certain Acts, Deeds, and Acknowledgments","identifier":"5","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13525,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:07","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:07","permalink":{"id":245577,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13526,"identifier":"5","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5","url":"\/55.1\/II\/6\/5\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13525,"edition_id":1,"name":"Recordation of 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03:43:49","permalink":{"id":244769,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12707,"identifier":"55.1","token":"55.1","url":"\/55.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":79656,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-627","catch_line":"Acts of notaries public, etc., who have held certain other offices","url":"\/55.1-627\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-627","metadata":false},{"id":59571,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-628","catch_line":"Validation of acknowledgments when seal not affixed","url":"\/55.1-628\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-628","metadata":false},{"id":63572,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-629","catch_line":"Acknowledgment taken by trustee in deed of trust","url":"\/55.1-629\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-629","metadata":false},{"id":54491,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-630","catch_line":"Acknowledgment taken by trustee in deed of trust; later date","url":"\/55.1-630\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-630","metadata":false},{"id":78570,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-631","catch_line":"Certain acknowledgments taken and certified before July 1, 1995","url":"\/55.1-631\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-631","metadata":false},{"id":65583,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-632","catch_line":"Acknowledgments taken by certain justices of the peace, mayors, etc","url":"\/55.1-632\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-632","metadata":false},{"id":63084,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-633","catch_line":"Acknowledgments taken by officers after expiration of terms","url":"\/55.1-633\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-633","metadata":false},{"id":84237,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-634","catch_line":"Acknowledgments taken by notaries in service during World War I","url":"\/55.1-634\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-634","metadata":false},{"id":58626,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-635","catch_line":"Acknowledgments before foreign officials who failed to affix seals","url":"\/55.1-635\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-635","metadata":false},{"id":85916,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-636","catch_line":"Acknowledgments taken by notaries in foreign countries","url":"\/55.1-636\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-636","metadata":false},{"id":78038,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-637","catch_line":"Acknowledgments taken by officer who was spouse of grantee","url":"\/55.1-637\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-637","metadata":false},{"id":69176,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-638","catch_line":"Acknowledgment when notary certifies erroneously as to expiration of commission","url":"\/55.1-638\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-638","metadata":false},{"id":77472,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-639","catch_line":"Acknowledgments before officer of city or county consolidating, etc., prior to expiration date of commission","url":"\/55.1-639\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-639","metadata":false},{"id":55494,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-640","catch_line":"Acknowledgments taken before notary whose commission has expired","url":"\/55.1-640\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-640","metadata":false},{"id":73590,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-641","catch_line":"Acknowledgments taken before notary whose commission has expired; later date; intervening vested rights saved","url":"\/55.1-641\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-641","metadata":false},{"id":55869,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-642","catch_line":"Acknowledgments taken before notary who was appointed but failed to qualify; vested rights saved","url":"\/55.1-642\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-642","metadata":false},{"id":84505,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-643","catch_line":"Acknowledgments taken before a notary at large who failed to cite the jurisdiction in which the acknowledgment was taken; vested rights saved","url":"\/55.1-643\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-643","metadata":false},{"id":73203,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-644","catch_line":"Deeds defectively executed by corporation","url":"\/55.1-644\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-644","metadata":false},{"id":58038,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-645","catch_line":"Deeds to which corporate seal not affixed or not attested","url":"\/55.1-645\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-645","metadata":false},{"id":83075,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-646","catch_line":"Acknowledgments of corporations taken by officers or stockholders","url":"\/55.1-646\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-646","metadata":false},{"id":62770,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-647","catch_line":"Recordation certificate not signed by clerk","url":"\/55.1-647\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-647","metadata":false},{"id":85390,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-648","catch_line":"Recordation certificate not signed by clerk; when clerk has died","url":"\/55.1-648\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-648","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":54491,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-630","catch_line":"Acknowledgment taken by trustee in deed of trust; later date","url":"\/55.1-630\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-630","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":65583,"structure_id":13526,"section_number":"55.1-632","catch_line":"Acknowledgments taken by certain justices of the peace, mayors, etc","url":"\/55.1-632\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-632","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/55.1-631\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1968. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 297 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1968 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 6 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1972, chapter 631; in 1976, chapter 685; in 1984, chapter 35; in 1989, chapter 602; in 1995, chapter 48<\/a>; in 2019, chapter 712<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":245595,"object_type":"law","relational_id":78570,"identifier":"55.1-631","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-631","url":"\/55.1-631\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/55.1-631\/","token":"55.1\/II\/6\/5\/55.1-631","dublin_core":{"Title":"Certain acknowledgments taken and certified before July 1, 1995","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 55.1-631","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

All certificates of acknowledgments to deeds and other writings taken and certified prior to July 1, 1995, by commissioners of deeds of states other than the Commonwealth, appointed or commissioned by the governor of such state, and by notaries public appointed or commissioned by the Governor of the Commonwealth, or appointed or commissioned under the laws<\/span> of any state other than the Commonwealth, or any other officer authorized under this chapter to take and certify acknowledgments of deeds and other writings, that omit the citation<\/span> of the date of the deed or certificate where it is clear from the content of the entire certificate and the instrument that has been acknowledged that the identity of the instrument or the certificate is the same, or if it can reasonably be inferred from the certificate of the person recording the instrument or other writing that the certificate refers to the same instrument, shall be held and are hereby declared valid and effective in all respects if otherwise valid according to the law<\/span> then in force, or otherwise appear valid upon their face, and all such deeds and other writings that have been recorded in any clerk’s office in the Commonwealth upon such certificates shall be held to be duly and regularly recorded if such recordation is otherwise valid according to the law<\/span> then in force.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nCERTAIN ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TAKEN AND CERTIFIED BEFORE JULY 1, 1995 (\u00a7 55.1-631)\n\nAll certificates of acknowledgments to deeds and other writings taken and\ncertified prior to July 1, 1995, by commissioners of deeds of states other than\nthe Commonwealth, appointed or commissioned by the governor of such state, and\nby notaries public appointed or commissioned by the Governor of the\nCommonwealth, or appointed or commissioned under the laws of any state other\nthan the Commonwealth, or any other officer authorized under this chapter to\ntake and certify acknowledgments of deeds and other writings, that omit the\ncitation of the date of the deed or certificate where it is clear from the\ncontent of the entire certificate and the instrument that has been acknowledged\nthat the identity of the instrument or the certificate is the same, or if it can\nreasonably be inferred from the certificate of the person recording the\ninstrument or other writing that the certificate refers to the same instrument,\nshall be held and are hereby declared valid and effective in all respects if\notherwise valid according to the law then in force, or otherwise appear valid\nupon their face, and all such deeds and other writings that have been recorded\nin any clerk’s office in the Commonwealth upon such certificates shall be\nheld to be duly and regularly recorded if such recordation is otherwise valid\naccording to the law then in force.\n\nHISTORY: 1968, c. 297, \u00a7 55-125.1; 1972, c. 631; 1976, c. 685; 1984, c. 35;\n1989, c. 602; 1995, c. 48; 2019, c. 712.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}