Pricing & Policies

Valid Identification Required For All Notary Appointments

For standard notarizations, at minimum, the following documentation must be presented by each signer in person, and issued within the last 5 years:

• CA Driver's License or Non-Driver CA Identification Card 

• U.S. Passport or U.S. Passport Card

• Inmate I.D. Card issued by the California Department of Corrections

 

If you do NOT have one of the forms of ID listed above, one of the identification options listed below may be used. These options must must be current or issued within the last 5 years and must also contain a photograph, physical description, serial number, and signature of the bearer/signer per the California Secretary of State regulations:

• Driver's License issued by an appropriate public agency from Canada or Mexico

• Driver’s License or official Non-Driver's Identification Card issued by a U.S. state other than California.

  • Note: Driver's License from Guam, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, or other U.S. Territories are not acceptable forms of identification per the California Secretary of State.

• A U.S. Military I.D.

• A valid foreign passport from the applicant’s country of citizenship

• An employee ID issued by an agency or office of the state of California or a California city, county, or city and county

• An identification card issued by a federally-recognized tribal government

• A valid consular identification document issued by a consulate from the applicant’s country of citizenship that meets specific requirements. California Notaries may accept I.D. cards issued by foreign consulates as proof of a signer's identity, but there are some restrictions.

  • This form of ID does not need to contain a photograph, physical description, serial number, or signature of the bearer/signer.

  • Note: "Matricula Consular" I.D. issued by the Mexican Consulates do not meet these requirements and cannot be accepted as satisfactory evidence of a signer's identity in California.

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In the event a signer is unable to present valid identification, the oath or affirmation of one or two Credible Witnesses may be utilized. 

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California Requirements For Credible Identifying Witnesses

California Civil Code Section 1185(b)(1)(A) states that one or two Credible Witnesses may be used when a signer does not possess an identification document listed in California Civil Code Section 1185(b)(3) or (4) and it would be difficult or impossible to obtain one. In addition, a Credible Witness may be used only if the Credible Witness is not named nor financially interested in the document.

 

A Credible Witness must know the signer well enough to swear or affirm the following five facts to the Notary Public:

1. The signer is named in the document.

2. The Credible Witness personally knows the signer.

3. The signer does not possess a qualifying identification document.

4. The signer’s circumstances make it difficult or impossible to obtain a qualifying identification document.

5. The Credible Witness is not named in nor financially interested in the document.

   • One Credible Witness may be used to identify the signer if the Credible Witness personally knows the Notary and the signer.

   • Two Credible Witnesses who do not personally know the Notary, but do personally know the signer, may be used as well.

   • Note: Just like signers, a Credible Witness cannot be identified based on the Notary’s personal knowledge. Every credible witness, even those who know the Notary personally, must present a written form of ID listed in California Civil Code 1185(b)(3) or (4).