Acceptable ID

  1. There is reasonable reliance on any one of the following forms of identification, provided it is current or was issued within 5 years: 

• An identification card or driver’s license issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles
• A United States passport
• An inmate identification card issued by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, if the inmate is in custody in California state prison
• Any form of inmate identification issued by a sheriff’s department, if the inmate is in custody in a local detention facility

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 valid consular identification document issued by a consulate from the applicant’s country of citizenship, or a valid passport from the applicant’s country of citizenship;

 

• A driver’s license issued by another state or by a Canadian or Mexican public agency authorized to  issue driver’s licenses;
• An identification card issued by another state;
• A United States military identification card (caution: current military identification cards might not contain all the required information);
• 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.
• An identification card issued by a federally recognized tribal government. ​

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Two credible witness's may be used when a signer does not possess an identification document listed in the statute and it would be difficult or impossible to obtain one. In addition, two credible witness may be used when the witness is not named nor financially interested in the document.
A credible witness must know the signer well enough to swear or affirm five facts to the Notary:
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1. The signer is named in the document.
2. The credible witness personally knows the signer.
3. The signer doesn’t 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.
 

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 Californ