Rule 23-115 Unsworn affirmations under penalty of perjury.

When you sign a document for court, you usually need to get it notarized. This rule lets you skip that step in most cases. Instead, you can write a statement that includes three things: the date you signed it, your signature, and a line saying you swear under penalty of perjury under New Mexico law that everything in the statement is true.

If you include all three of these things, your unnotarized statement counts the same as one that's been notarized. This means the court will treat it as if you had gone to a notary, saved you time and money, and still holds you legally responsible if you lie in the statement. Lying on this type of statement is just as serious as lying on a notarized one. You could face perjury charges if you sign something false.

This rule only applies if no other court rule says otherwise. So before you use this shortcut, check if a specific rule for your type of case requires notarization instead.