Part 2, Section 3
Identification of the Signer

Verifying a person’s identity is fundamental to every notarization of a signature.

You may accept the following forms of identification to identify a signer, however, the following documents must be current (or issued within the past 5 years, even if expired), contain the signer’s photograph, personal description and signature, and have an identifying number:

• California driver’s license or ID issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles
   
• US Passport (physical description not required)
   
• Foreign passport stamped by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services or its predecessor, the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service
   
• Driver’s license or ID issued by another US state
   
• Driver’s license issued in Mexico or Canada
   
• US military ID that contains all required elements above
   
• Inmate ID issued by the California Dept of Corrections (but only to identify prisoners in custody)
   
• ID card issued by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), but only for notarization of USCIS forms
   

• Employee ID card issued by an agency or office of the State of California, or by an agency or office of a city, county or city and county in California

Civil Code § 1185

Social Security Cards, birth certificates, credit cards, temporary driver’s licenses and driver’s licenses without photographs are not acceptable forms of identification.

However, if the identification provided to you seems authentic, but you are not absolutely sure, nothing prohibits you from requesting additional proof of identification.  As additional or supplemental identification, the signer may provide a Social Security Card, a credit card, a student I.D., or other such items with the signer’s name embossed or printed on the card.  Write the information provided on these items in your journal.  Of course these supplemental forms of identification cannot be relied upon as primary sources of identification.

Failing to properly identify a signer can result in your commission being suspended or revoked, as well as civil penalties of up to $10,000 in an administrative action brought by the Secretary of State or a public prosecutor.

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