The Discover Notary ID Verification Form is a one-page document the bank uses to confirm your identity for a new deposit application or an existing account. You complete only the top section, sign it in front of a notary public with an unexpired government photo ID, and return the notarized form along with copies of your ID through Discover’s secure upload portal. Your part takes about thirty seconds. The rest is getting to a notary and sending everything back so any hold on your account can clear.
What You Fill In
The form has three sections, and only the first one is yours. Section 1 is titled “Discover Applicant or Customer Identity Verification Acknowledgement” and asks for four things: your printed name as it appears on your application or account, your signature, the date, and a contact phone number.1Discover. ID Verification Form Signing acknowledges that you applied for or hold a Discover deposit account and that the information will be used for verification.
Nothing else is asked of you. No Social Security number, no residential address, no account number. If a form you received requests more than that or looks different from this description, call the number in Discover’s correspondence before filling anything in. Fake verification forms do circulate.
Sections 2 and 3 belong to the notary. Section 2 records your ID details — the type of document, the name on it, the ID number, state or country of issuance, issue and expiration dates, and your date of birth. Section 3 captures the notary’s own information, commission number, signature, and official stamp.1Discover. ID Verification Form Leave both blank.
What ID to Bring
The form lists the IDs it accepts. Bring one, unexpired, in its original physical form:
- U.S. Driver’s License
- U.S. State ID
- U.S. Visa
- Passport (U.S. or foreign)
- Other U.S. or U.S. state government-issued ID
Military ID is also accepted, and the form notes that the “State or Country of Issuance” field can be left blank when a military ID is used.1Discover. ID Verification Form
Photocopies and expired documents will not work. The notary has to examine the physical original, and most states require the ID to be current, government-issued, and bear a photograph.2Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Powers of a Notary Public If your ID is expired or lost, some states allow a credible witness who personally knows you to vouch for your identity under oath, but confirm that option with both the notary and Discover before you count on it.
At the Notary
Notaries are available at most banks, UPS stores, law offices, and some public libraries. If you are overseas, a U.S. Embassy representative or a Military Legal Office representative can serve in place of a notary.
Do not sign the form in advance. Notarization requires the notary to witness your signature, and a pre-signed form cannot legally be notarized. At the appointment:
- You present your ID. The notary examines it and fills in Section 2.
- You sign and date Section 1 in front of the notary.
- The notary completes Section 3 with their name, commission number, business address, and phone, then signs and applies their stamp or seal.1Discover. ID Verification Form
The appointment usually takes under ten minutes. Notary fees are set by state law. Most states cap single-acknowledgment fees between $5 and $10, with some as low as $2 and others as high as $25; a handful of states set no statutory maximum, so the notary sets the price.3National Notary Association. 2026 Notary Fees By State
Skip Remote Online Notarization
Many states now permit remote online notarization by video call. Discover has reportedly rejected forms completed that way, with customers who used online platforms told the form was refused because it was done over the internet. Until Discover says otherwise, use an in-person notary so you don’t have to redo the appointment and extend the hold on your account.
Sending the Form Back
After notarization, you also need to upload copies of your ID. Discover’s secure document upload portal accepts .tif, .jpg, .png, and .pdf files, and the instructions call for both the front and back of a driver’s license or state ID before you submit.4Discover. Discover Secure Document Upload If Discover emailed you about a pending application, use the upload link in that email rather than the general portal.5Discover. Secure Document Upload
Processing takes up to five business days after Discover receives your documents.5Discover. Secure Document Upload If a week passes with no response, call the number in the original correspondence. Keep a copy of the notarized form and the ID scans; if anything goes sideways in processing, you won’t have to visit a notary a second time.
Why Discover Asks
Federal rules require banks to run a Customer Identification Program before opening any account, collecting at minimum your name, date of birth, address, and taxpayer identification number, and then verifying that information through documents, non-documentary methods, or both.6eCFR. 31 CFR 1020.220 – Customer Identification Program Requirements for Banks The notary form is one layer of that check. Discover typically triggers it when something raises a question: a mismatch between what you provided and credit bureau records, an application from an unusual location, or activity on an existing account that was flagged for review. Having a licensed third party confirm your identity face to face is what the notarization adds.