About your ID:

When you make your Mobile Notary appointment, please tell us the number of signatures, what kind of document, and the location and time for the service. Please have a current, valid, government-issued photo ID with you when we visit your location. Photo ID must show more or "equal to" the name on the document(s). (Example: ID = Michael Warner Smith. Document = Michael W Smith, Michael Smith. Cannot be Michael U Smith or Paul Michael Warner Smith) Some documents may require witnesses in addition to the notarization. You will be required to provide your witnesses.

Disclaimer: I cannot provide legal advice because l am not an attorney. Please get in touch with the document's originator with any questions about them.

California Does Not Allow A Signer To Be Identified Through Personal Knowledge

Even if a Notary is personally acquainted with a signer, state law prohibits using personal knowledge to identify document signers. Every signer must be identified through one of the identification documents or other methods listed in California Code 1185[b]:

A. A California driver’s license or nondriver’s ID

B. A U.S. passport (or passport card)

C. An inmate identification card issued by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation if the inmate is in prison or any form of inmate identification issued by a sheriff’s department if the inmate is in custody in a local detention facility

D. A driver’s license or official nondriver’s ID issued by a U.S. state*

E. A Canadian or Mexican driver’s license issued by an appropriate public agency*

F. A U.S. military ID*

G. A valid foreign passport from the applicant’s country of citizenship*

H. An employee ID issued by an agency or office of the state of California, a California city, or county*

I. An identification card issued by a federally-recognized tribal government*

J. A valid consular identification document issued by a consulate from the applicant’s country of citizenship that meets specific requirements (see NOTE below)*

K. The oath or affirmation of one credible witness personally known to the Notary and identified through statutorily prescribed ID cards or the oath or affirmation of two credible witnesses not personally known to the Notary and identified through statutorily prescribed ID cards

All of the identification documents listed above must be current or issued within the past 5 years in order to be accepted by California Notaries. IDs listed above marked with an asterisk (*) must also contain an identifying number and the photograph, signature, and physical description of the bearer.

NOTE*

Not All Consular IDs Are Acceptable

California Notaries may accept ID cards issued by foreign consulates as proof of a signer’s identity — but there are some restrictions. In order to be accepted, the consular ID must be current or issued in the past 5 years; have a serial or identification number; and contain the signature, photograph, and description of the bearer. It’s important to note that the “matricula consular” IDs issued by Mexican consulates do not meet these requirements and cannot be accepted as satisfactory evidence of a signer’s identity in California.

Are Social Security card, birth certificates, or marriage licenses acceptable forms of ID?

No. They do not meet the listed requirements for identification.