Three ways to know a signer
- Knowing them. How well is the state’s to say; Idaho’s statute counts a signer as personally known to a notary “through dealings sufficient to provide reasonable certainty that the individual has the identity claimed.”
- An identification document, usually a government-issued photo ID. Which documents a state accepts, and how old one may be, is the state’s to say.
- A credible witness, who vouches for the signer. Texas’s Secretary of State: “A credible witness is someone who has no monetary, or personal benefit in the execution of the document and acts as identification for someone who has no valid identification card or passport.” California’s handbook has the witness swear, among other things, that “The credible witness does not have a financial interest and is not named in the document signed.”
Of the rule sets for the fifty states and D.C., 50 let a notary rely on knowing the signer personally; for California, that is not allowed. As for a credible witness, 44 list one among the ways to identify a signer; for seven others, none is listed here — which does not say those states allow none.
Three states, side by side
| State | Knowing the signer | An ID may be | Credible witnesses |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Not allowed | Current, or issued within the last five years | One credible witness (whom you personally know); Two credible witnesses (with their own ID) |
| Texas | Allowed | Current | One credible witness |
| Florida | Allowed | Current, or issued within the past five years, and bearing a serial or other identifying number | One credible witness you personally know (sworn written statement); Two credible witnesses with ID (sworn written statements) |
From Hand & Seal’s rule sets, drafted from the statutes listed under Sources: checked against the statute’s text on October 4, 2026; not yet reviewed by an attorney. Your state’s handbook and commissioning office have the last word.
The documents each of the three lists:
- California. California driver’s license / ID; U.S. passport or passport card; Other state’s driver’s license / ID; Foreign passport; Mexican or Canadian driver’s license; U.S. military ID; Consular ID (e.g. matrícula consular); Federally recognized tribal ID; California state/local government employee ID; Inmate ID (signer in custody).
- Texas. Texas driver’s license / ID; Other state’s driver’s license / ID; U.S. passport or passport card; U.S. military ID; Foreign passport (residential real estate only).
- Florida. Florida driver’s license / ID; Driver’s license or ID from another state, a U.S. territory, Canada or Mexico; U.S. passport or passport card; Foreign passport stamped by U.S. immigration; U.S. military ID; VA health identification card; U.S. immigration (USCIS) identification card; Inmate ID (signer in custody).
When a signer has none
- Ask before you go. Whoever books the signing can check that every signer has an ID your state accepts, in the name on the document — before the drive, not at the door.
- If you know the signer, and your state lets that be enough, it may be.
- A credible witness, where your state lists one. Who may be one, and how you identify them in turn, is your state’s to say.
- Otherwise, another day. A signing put off until the signer has an ID can still happen; one done without it is a notarization you cannot stand behind.
When to refuse
An ID in hand does not end the question. California’s handbook defines satisfactory evidence first as “the absence of any information, evidence, or other circumstances which would lead a reasonable person to believe that the individual is not the individual they claim to be”. Idaho’s statute lets a notary ask for more: “A notary public may require an individual to provide additional information or identification credentials necessary to assure the notary public of the identity of the individual.” And Oregon’s guide is plain about doubt: “when you are in doubt because something appears fraudulent (the ID looks fake), or you have concerns about the willingness or capacity of the signer, you should not notarize.”
New Jersey’s manual names two things to compare. Among its reasons to refuse, the officer is not satisfied that “The individual’s signature on the record or statement substantially conforms to the signature on a form of identification used to determine the identity of the individual”, or that “The physical appearance of the individual signing the record or statement substantially conforms to the photograph on a form of identification used to determine the identity of the individual.”
When you refuse, write it down: the day, the signer, the document, and what you saw rather than a conclusion. If anyone asks later, your entry is what you have. The notary journal has what a line holds.
How Hand & Seal keeps it
The journal form lists the ways of knowing a signer that your state’s rule set lists, with each credible witness by name. It keeps at most the last four digits of an ID’s number, and none of it where your state forbids recording the number, and it never takes a photo of an ID. A refusal is a line of its own, with what you saw and no fee. See how it works.
This guide quotes the statutes and state offices named under Sources, and draws each state from its rule set; your own state’s law decides, and its commissioning office has the last word. It is not legal advice.