A current, government-issued photo ID with your signature is what a notary needs, and in every state the acceptable forms of identification for notarization include a state driver’s license, a state-issued non-driver ID card, and a U.S. passport or passport card. Several other government credentials work in most states, and if you have no ID at all, personal knowledge of the notary or credible identifying witnesses can stand in for one.
Notarization is governed by state law, so the exact list varies by jurisdiction. The common thread across nearly every state is a short set of criteria the document has to meet.
What Every Acceptable ID Has in Common
A notary is verifying that the person signing is who they claim to be. To do that, the ID you present must be issued by a government agency (federal, state, or in some cases foreign), current and not expired, and it needs to carry a photograph the notary can compare against your face. It should also bear your signature, so the notary can compare it against the one you place on the document. Some states also require a physical description such as height, weight, or eye color.
If a key feature is missing, the notary has grounds to reject the document, and a careful one will.
IDs Accepted in Every State
Three documents work everywhere and cover the vast majority of signings:
- A state-issued driver’s license. The most commonly presented ID, containing a photo, signature, physical description, and identifying number.
- A state-issued non-driver identification card. Functionally identical to a driver’s license for notarization, issued by the same agency to people who don’t drive.
- A U.S. passport or passport card, issued by the U.S. Department of State.
If you have any one of these and it is not expired, you are set for a standard notarization.
Other Government-Issued IDs That Usually Work
Beyond the core three, several other credentials are accepted, though acceptance varies more by state.
- U.S. military identification, including the Department of Defense Common Access Card (CAC) and the Uniformed Services ID card, carried by active-duty service members, retirees, and eligible dependents.1Department of Defense. Department of Defense List of Acceptable Identity Documents
- Tribal identification cards issued by federally recognized tribes. Some states treat these as primary ID; others treat them as secondary.
- Permanent resident cards (the Form I-551 “green card”) issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Accepted in many states, excluded by others, so confirm before relying on it as your only ID.
- Correctional facility identification for people who are incarcerated, so legal proceedings like power-of-attorney signings can move forward.
- Senior citizen identification cards issued by state or local agencies, in jurisdictions that recognize them, provided they carry a photo and signature.
The consistent rule with any alternative document is that your state’s notary statute has to list it. A notary who accepts an unauthorized ID puts their commission at risk, so most err on the side of caution.
Documents That Don’t Qualify
Several things people commonly think of as identification cannot be used to notarize a signature, because they lack a photo, signature, or physical description.
- Social Security cards. No photograph, no physical description, no signature on the card itself.
- Birth certificates. They prove you were born, not that you are the person standing at the notary’s desk.
- Credit and debit cards. Issued by private companies, and generally without a photo.
- Library cards. Not government identification in the required sense, even from a publicly funded library.
- Temporary or interim driver’s licenses. The paper receipt issued while you wait for your permanent card usually has no photo or security features, and most states will not accept it.
Student IDs are a gray area. A handful of states list them as acceptable; most do not. If a student ID is your only option, call the notary before your appointment.
If You Don’t Have an Acceptable ID
Personal Knowledge
Most states allow a notary to identify you based on personal knowledge, meaning the notary already knows who you are through prior dealings. This isn’t a passing acquaintance. It means enough interaction that the notary is reasonably certain of your identity, such as a longtime neighbor, colleague, or family friend. Most professional notaries prefer to ask for an ID anyway, because personal knowledge is harder to defend if a notarization is later challenged, but it is worth asking about if you have no document to present.
Credible Identifying Witnesses
When you have no acceptable ID and the notary does not know you, many states allow one or more credible witnesses to vouch for your identity.
If a single witness personally knows both you and the notary, that one witness is usually enough. The witness shows their own valid ID and swears under oath or affirmation that you are who you claim to be. If no one person knows both of you, most states that permit this method require two witnesses. Each must personally know you, present their own acceptable ID, and swear to your identity.
A credible witness cannot have a financial interest in the document. Someone named as a party to the transaction, or who stands to benefit, is disqualified. If you are signing a vehicle title over to your brother, your brother cannot be your identifying witness.
Not every state permits credible witnesses, and among those that do, the details differ. Check your state’s notary statute before relying on this option.
When Your Name Doesn’t Match Exactly
Name mismatches between an ID and the document being signed cause more delays at the notary’s desk than almost anything else. A middle initial versus a full middle name, a maiden name versus a married name, or a missing “Jr.” or “Sr.” can all be a problem.
The practical rule: if the name on your ID provides at least as much detail as the document, it should work. “John A. Smith” on your license and “John Smith” on the document is generally fine, because the ID contains more information than needed. But “John A. Smith” on the license and “John Alan Smith” on the document is a problem. The notary has no way to confirm the “A” stands for “Alan.”
Suffix mismatches deserve extra caution. If the document says “Robert Johnson Jr.” and your ID just says “Robert Johnson,” notaries are trained to be skeptical, because there are real cases of a parent and child sharing a name and one attempting to sign for the other. Bring a second form of ID that includes the suffix, or ask the document preparer to correct the name.
For deeds, mortgages, and other documents recorded with a county recorder, the matching requirements are often stricter. When in doubt, contact the receiving office before the appointment.
Expired IDs
Whether a notary can accept an expired ID depends on state law, and there is no national rule. Some states prohibit expired documents outright. Others allow a window: three years in states like Indiana and Kansas, five years in Florida. A few, like Arkansas, leave it to the notary’s judgment without a fixed timeframe.
Even where expired IDs are permitted, the document still has to meet the other requirements, and the photo has to actually look like you. The safest approach is to treat the expiration date as a hard deadline and renew before scheduling a notarization.
Foreign IDs
A current passport issued by a foreign government is the most widely accepted international ID for notarization. It meets the core criteria, and many states list foreign passports explicitly. Notaries see them regularly at real estate closings and immigration signings.
Foreign driver’s licenses are different. Most states either exclude them or don’t address them at all, which effectively means a notary has no authority to accept one, because there is no reliable way to verify the security features of a license from another country’s motor vehicle agency.
Consular identification cards, such as the Mexican Matricula Consular, are accepted in only a small number of states. Unless your state’s notary law lists consular cards as acceptable, don’t rely on one.
If you hold foreign identification, a foreign passport is your best option. Otherwise, check what your specific state accepts, or consider a credible witness where the state allows it.
Does Your ID Need to Be REAL ID Compliant?
No. REAL ID enforcement began on May 7, 2025, and applies to boarding domestic flights and entering certain federal facilities.2Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID It does not change notary identification rules. No state requires notaries to accept only REAL ID-compliant identification. An older-format state license or ID card remains valid for notarization as long as it meets your state’s existing notary requirements.
ID for Remote Online Notarization
All 50 states and the District of Columbia now permit some form of remote online notarization, where you appear before the notary by live video. Because the notary cannot physically inspect your ID, the identity check works differently.
You hold your government-issued ID up to a camera, and the platform runs credential analysis that checks the document’s security features against databases. You then complete knowledge-based authentication, answering a set of personal questions drawn from public and credit records. A typical session gives you five questions and requires four correct answers within two minutes, covering things like past addresses, vehicle registrations, and mortgage history.
Some platforms also use biometric verification, comparing a live image of your face against the photo on the ID. If you fail the knowledge questions, biometric verification may be offered as an alternative, or the reverse. The entire session is recorded.
When a Notary Can Still Refuse
Even a technically valid ID does not guarantee the notary will proceed. If a photo doesn’t look like you, a signature doesn’t match, the document appears altered, or you seem confused about what you are signing, the notary has both the right and the duty to stop.
If your ID is rejected, ask the notary which specific requirement it fails to meet. That tells you exactly what to bring next time. In most cases, a current state-issued driver’s license or U.S. passport resolves the problem.