Which Identification Documents Are Used to Identify a Signer?

Identification Documents

Effective January 1, 2017, the identity of the signer must be established by the notary public’s reasonable reliance on the presentation of any of the following identification forms.

There are two specific sets of paper identification documents, Primary and Secondary each having certain requirements.

Primary Group

• The Primary Group has five identification documents which must be either:
  • Current
    • or
  • Issued within five years.
• The Five Identification Documents are:
  1. California Driver’s License
  2. California Identification Card
  3. United States Passport
     • (a U.S. passport need not have a physical description)
  4. State Prison Inmate Identification Card
     • issued by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation,
     • if the inmate is in custody in a California state prison
     • (federal prisons do not apply).
  5. Sheriff’s Department Inmate Identification
     • any form of identification issued by a sheriff’s department;
     • if the inmate is in custody in a local detention facility.

Secondary Group

• The Secondary Group has seven identification documents which must have:
  • a Photograph,
  • a Description,
  • a Signature,
  • an Identifying Number, and
  • is Current or issued within five years.
• The Seven Identification Documents are:
  1. Valid Consular Identification Document
     • issued by a consulate from the signer’s country of citizenship
  2. Valid Foreign Passport
     • from the signer’s country of citizenship
  3. Driver’s License issued by a public agency authorized to issue drivers’ licenses:
     • any other state
     • Canada
     • Mexico
  4. Identification Card issued by another state
     • not Canada or Mexico
  5. Military Identification Card by any branch of the US Armed Forces
     • Caution: Not all current military ID cards have all the requirements and should not be used.
  6. State Employee Identification Card
     • for an agency of the state, office of a city or county of the State of California
  7. Tribal Government Identification Card
     • issued by a federally recognized tribal government.

Categories: Law Changes January 1, 2017 |