Proof Of Identity

Requirements

So, what’s considered an “acceptable” form of identification when seeking the services of a notary public?

Accepted forms of identification for having notarial services performed include the following:

Reasonable reliance on the presentation to the notary public of any one of the following forms of identification, if the document is current or has been issued within the past 5 years and bears a serial or other identifying number:

A Florida identification card or driver license issued by the public agency authorized to issue driver licenses. An identification card issued by the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.

A passport issued by the Department of State of the United States. A passport issued by a foreign government if the document is stamped by the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.

A sworn, written statement from a sworn law enforcement officer that the forms of identification for an inmate in an institution of confinement were confiscated upon confinement and that the person named in the document is the person whose signature is to be notarized.

An identification card issued by any branch of the armed forces of the United States. A veteran health identification card issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

An inmate identification card issued on or after January 1, 1991, by the Florida Department of Corrections for an inmate who is in the custody of the department. An inmate identification card issued by the United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, for an inmate who is in the custody of the department.

A driver license or an identification card issued by a public agency authorized to issue driver licenses in a state other than Florida or in a territory of the United States, or Canada or Mexico.

Pursuant to Section 117.05(5)(a), Florida Statutes, the term "personally knows”, means having an acquaintance, derived from association with the individual, which establishes the individual’s identity with at least a reasonable certainty.
Pursuant to Section 117.05(5)(b), Florida Statutes, the term “satisfactory evidence” means the absence of any information, evidence, or other circumstances which would lead a reasonable person to believe that the person whose signature is to be notarized is not the person he or she claims to be and any one of the following:

The sworn written statement of one credible witness personally known to the notary public or the sworn written statement of two credible witnesses whose identities are proven to the notary public upon the presentation of satisfactory evidence that each of the following is true:

That the person whose signature is to be notarized is the person named in the document;

That the person whose signature is to be notarized is personally known to the witnesses;

That it is the reasonable belief of the witnesses that the circumstances of the person whose signature is to be notarized are such that it would be very difficult or impossible for that person to obtain another acceptable form of identification;

That it is the reasonable belief of the witnesses that the person whose signature is to be notarized does not possess any of the identification documents specified in Section 117.05(5)(b)(2.), Florida Statutes; and
That the witnesses do not have a financial interest in nor are parties to the underlying transaction.

Checking and verifying the signer’s identify is critical step in performing a notarial service. Some people may view it as a nuisance, but it’s performed to safeguard against fraud. So the next time you need a document notarized, remember to bring one of the accepted forms of identification mentioned above.

Proof of Identity

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Requirements