§ 34-12-2. Officers authorized to take acknowledgments. Acknowledgment of any instrument required by any statute of this state to be acknowledged shall be made:

(1) Within this state, before any state senator, any state representative, judge, justice of the peace, clerk or assistant clerk of the superior court, mayor, notary public, town clerk or recorder of deeds.

(2) Without this state and within the limits of United States or any dependency thereof, before any judge or justice of a court of record or other court, justice of the peace, mayor or notary public, of the state, District of Columbia, territory or such dependency, in which such acknowledgment is made, or before any commissioner appointed by the governor of this state, or before any officer authorized by law to take acknowledgments of deeds in the place in which the acknowledgment is made.

(3) Without the limits of the United States, before any of the following officers acting within his territorial jurisdiction or within that of the court of which he or she is an officer:

(i) An ambassador, envoy, minister, chargé d'affaires, secretary of legation, consul-general, consul, vice-consul, consular agent, vice-consular agent, or any other diplomatic or consular agent or representative of the United States, appointed or accredited to, and residing within the country where the acknowledgment or proof is taken.

(ii) A judge or other presiding officer of any court having a seal or the clerk or other certifying officer thereof.

(iii) A mayor or other chief civil officer of any city or other political subdivision.

(iv) A notary public.

(v) A person residing in, or going to, the country where the acknowledgment or proof is to be taken, and specially authorized for that purpose by a commission issued to him or her under the seal of the superior court.

(vi) Any person authorized, by the laws of the country where the acknowledgment or proof is made, to take acknowledgments of conveyances of real estate or to administer oaths in proof of the execution thereof.

History of Section. (G.L. 1896, ch. 202, § 8; G.L. 1909, ch. 253, § 8; G.L. 1923, ch. 297, § 8; P.L. 1928, ch. 1221, § 2; G.L. 1938, ch. 435, § 7; P.L. 1941, ch. 1010, § 1; G.L. 1956, § 34-12-2; P.L. 1959, ch. 112, § 1; P.L. 1963, ch. 142, § 1.)