The Notary’s primary responsibility is to prevent fraud. By diligently following the ID requirements as required by law, you as well as all other parties involved in your transaction(s) are protected.
Understand that two forms of ID are required for your signing appointment. The first form of ID must be a government-issued photo ID along with your signature and/or physical description. It must also have been issued within the last five years. The second form of ID can be any form of ID that has your name and address on it, such as a utility bill, bank statement, or voter registration card or form of ID that your lender requires.
If the name on your government-issued ID does not match the name on your signing documents, the appointment will have to be rescheduled. You will incur an additional fee for travel and time.
Here are some examples of acceptable government-issued IDs:
- Driver’s license
- State ID card
- Passport
- Permanent resident card
Here are some examples of other (secondary) acceptable forms of ID:
- Utility bill
- Bank statement
- Voter registration card
- Social Security card
- Birth certificate
I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Definitions
Credible witness. – An individual who is personally known to the notary and to whom all of the following also apply:
a. The notary believes the individual to be honest and reliable for the purpose of confirming to the notary the identity of another individual.
b. The notary believes the individual is not a party to or beneficiary of the transaction
Satisfactory evidence. – Identification of an individual based on either of the following:
a. At least one current document issued by a federal, state, or federal or state-recognized tribal government agency bearing the photographic image of the individual’s face and either the signature or a physical description of the individual.
b. The oath or affirmation of one credible witness who personally knows the individual seeking to be identified.
Subscribing witness. – A person who signs a record for the purpose of being a witness to the principal’s execution of the record or to the principal’s acknowledgment of his or her execution of the record. A subscribing witness may give proof of the execution of the record as provided in subdivision (28) of this section.
Verification or proof. – A notarial act in which a notary certifies that all of the following occurred:
a. An individual appeared in person before the notary.
b. The individual was personally known to the notary or identified by the notary through satisfactory evidence.
c. The individual was not a party to or beneficiary of the transaction.
d. The individual took an oath or gave an affirmation and testified to one of the following:
i. The individual is a subscribing witness and the principal who signed the record did so while being personally observed by the subscribing witness.
ii. The individual is a subscribing witness and the principal who signed the record acknowledged his or her signature to the subscribing witness.
iii. The individual recognized either the signature on the record of the principal or the signature on the record of the subscribing witness and the signature was genuine. (1991, c. 683, s. 2; 1998-228, s. 2; 2005-391, s. 4; 2006-59, s. 1; 2020-3, s. 4.1(a).)
Affirmation. – A notarial act that is legally equivalent to an oath and in which a notary certifies that at a single time and place all of the following occurred:
a. An individual appeared in person before the notary.
b. The individual was personally known to the notary or identified by the notary through satisfactory evidence.
c. The individual made a vow of truthfulness on penalty of perjury, based on personal honor and without invoking a deity or using any form of the word “swear”. (Equivalent to an oath which the individual made a vow of truthfulness on penalty of perjury while invoking a deity or using any form of the word “swear“.
Jurat. – A notary’s certificate evidencing the administration of an oath or affirmation.