Identification of Signer

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 “satisfactory evidence” 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

If there is an absence of “satisfactory evidence,” such as any information, evidence, or other circumstances that would lead a reasonable person to believe that the person making the acknowledgment is not the individual he or she claims to be, you must not complete the notarial act.

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.

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