Acceptable Forms of Identification
Almost everywhere in the United States, a notary may rely solely on personal knowledge to identify a person appearing for a notarial act. “Personal knowledge” means the notary has reasonable certainty that the person is who he or she/they claim to be, based on the notary’s regular dealings with this person over time.
In just a few states, personal knowledge alone is not enough… the person must also be able to present a form of identification that is acceptable under the notary’s state law.
Notaries everywhere may identify a person by means of an identification credential or document that is acceptable under the notary’s state law.
Having said that, unless a Notary knows you well personally, you need to identify yourself for proper notarization. In Florida, you can present 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;
- 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 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;
- 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 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; or
- An identification card issued by the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.
