Which Forms of ID Are Acceptable for Notary Services?

Signing important documents with a notary is one of the smartest things you can do to prevent fraud and identity theft. A notarized signature is considered a “self-authenticating” document in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, as well as in many state courts—in short, presenting identification for a notary in Union City, NJ provides an extra layer of protection for your sensitive information, important contracts and your business or personal financial documents.

What notaries do

Notaries act as impartial third-party witnesses to the signing of documents like wills, contracts and other types of documents that are often subject to fraud. A notary screens the document signers to ensure that they’re not under duress, understand what they’re signing and, most importantly, that they are who they say they are. The notary seal declares that the signers have been subject to this heightened scrutiny, which helps if someone contests the documents in court.

Forms of ID a notary will accept

When you’re signing a document witnessed by a notary public, you need to ensure that you have the proper proof of identification—otherwise, the procedure will not be completed. Here are the acceptable forms of identification for a notary in Union City, NJ:

• State-issued identification: Your state-issued driver’s license or state ID are valid forms of ID. Some states will accept expired identification and some will not—check before you engage the notary. Generally, notaries cannot accept temporary driver’s licenses.
• United States passport or military ID: Both passports and military IDs are accepted by notaries.
• Government identification: If you work for the state, county or federal government, you can use your current work identification card to prove your identity.
• Permanent resident or green card: If you’re not a United States citizen, but you have a green card, you can use this with a notary, depending on the state.
• Foreign citizenship documents: In some states, foreign citizenship documents like passports and Canada or Mexico driver’s licenses are valid forms of ID.
• Credible witnesses: There are many situations in which a person might not have a state-issued ID card or passport, such as being underage, low-income, elderly or homeless. In these cases, many states provide the option for a notary to prove identity through credible witnesses. If you think this may be an issue, make sure you speak to the notary as soon as possible.

Unacceptable forms of ID

If your notary service says you do not have acceptable ID in Union City, NJ as mentioned above, you might wonder whether you can bring them other “official” documents to prove your identity. Generally speaking, even if they could help prove you are who you say you are in a casual capacity, notaries cannot accept Social Security cards, bank or debit cards, school IDs or library cards. This is because those types of cards are not supported by the documentation and verification that a passport or driver’s license would require.

For all your accounting, tax and business needs, turn to Kedean’s Generation. We’ve been helping our clients manage their finances for over 30 years, and look forward to working with you.

Categorised in: Notary Public