The primary duty of a notary public is to verify the identities of each signer on a document. This is done to protect against fraudulent acts that may otherwise void the notarized document. The notary public typically requests each signer to provide identification that verifies their identity. If the client fails to provide an acceptable form of identification, the notary public is legally obligated to refuse the service.
Acceptable forms of unexpired identification for having notarial services performed include the following:
- State-issued driver’s license
- State-issued identification card
- U.S. military identification card
- Resident alien identification card (green card)
- U.S. passport
Unacceptable forms of identification may include the following:
- Birth certificates
- Social security cards
- School identification cards
- Credit cards
- Debit cards