I.D. REQUIREMENTS

When completing a certificate of acknowledgment or a jurat, a notary public is required 

to certify to the identity of the signer of the document. (Civil Code sections 1185(a), 1189, 

Government Code section 8202) Identity is established if the notary public is presented with 

satisfactory evidence of the signer’s identity. (Civil Code section 1185(a))

Satisfactory Evidence – “Satisfactory Evidence” means the absence of any information, 

evidence, or other circumstances which would lead a reasonable person to believe that the 

individual is not the individual he or she claims to be and (A) identification documents or (B) 

the oath of a single credible witness or (C) the oaths of two credible witnesses under penalty 

of perjury, as specified below:

A. Identification Documents – The notary public can establish the identity of the signer 

using identification documents as follows (Civil Code section 1185(b)(3) and (4)):

1. There is reasonable reliance on any one of the following forms of identification, provided 

it is current or was issued within 5 years:

a. An identification card or driver’s license issued by the California Department of Motor 

Vehicles;

b. A United States passport;

c. An inmate identification card issued by the California Department of Corrections and 

Rehabilitation, if the inmate is in custody in California state prison;

d. Any form of inmate identification issued by a sheriff’s department, if the inmate is in 

custody in a local detention facility; or

2. There is reasonable reliance on any one of the following forms of identification, provided 

that it also contains a photograph, description of the person, signature of the person, and an 

identifying number:

(a) A passport issued by a foreign government, provided that it has been stamped by the U.S. 

Immigration and Naturalization Service or the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services;

(b) A driver’s license issued by another state or by a Canadian or Mexican public agency 

authorized to issue driver’s licenses;

(c) An identification card issued by another state;

(d) A United States military identification card (caution: current military identification cards 

might not contain all the required information);

(e) An employee identification card issued by an agency or office of the State of California, 

or an agency or office of a city, county, or city and county in California.

Note: The notary public must include in his or her journal the type of identifying document, the 

governmental agency issuing the document, the serial or identifying number of the document, 

and the date of issue or expiration of the document that was used to establish the identity of 

the signer. (Government Code section 8206(a)(2)(D))

Note: The notary public must include in his or her journal the type of identifying document, the governmental agency issuing the document, the serial or identifying number of the document, and the date of issue or expiration of the document that was used to establish the identity of the signer. (Government Code section 8206(a)(2)(D))