Notary Public and Identification Required

When requesting a notary public to notarize a document for you, it is important to understand that you must show proper identification to the notary. Within the state of California, the law is explicit in identification requirements.

Identification must be one of the following:

• Driver's License of nondriver's ID card issued by a U.S. state.
• U.S. passport (physical description not required).
• U.S. Military Identification Card that contains all required elements stated above, (The Common Access Card, CAC, is not acceptable).
• Driver's License issued in Mexico or Canada.
• Foreign passport that has been stamped by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
• Inmate ID Issued by the California Department of Corrections.

*These identification sources must have be issued within the last 5 years to be acceptable.

Unacceptable forms of Identification include:

• Matricula Consular Card
• Social Security Cards
• Temporary Driver's Licenses
• Driver's Licenses without photographs

For those without proper identification, as listed above, there is another way to "prove" identification. To do this, you would have to produce two witnesses that can swear to your identity under oath. The two witnesses must have current identification, as outlined above, and sign the notary journal.

In the past, it has been possible for the notary to state "personal knowledge" of the signer as adequate for identification. However, on January 1st of 2008, this will no longer be legal.

If you have any questions about these rules, please contact me for further information.

Notary Public