How to Complete Florida Form DFS-A4-2007: Claimant Affidavit for Unclaimed Property

Florida Form DFS-A4-2007 is a notarized sworn statement you file with the Division of Unclaimed Property when you don’t have a government-issued photo ID to submit with your claim. It verifies your identity under oath so the Department of Financial Services can process your claim for a dormant bank account, uncashed check, or other abandoned asset held under Chapter 717 of the Florida Statutes.¹ Florida Administrative Code Rule 69I-20.0022 authorizes you or your representative to file this sworn statement in place of the photo ID requirement.²

Do You Actually Need This Form?

Most claimants don’t. The standard way to prove who you are is to drop a legible copy of your driver’s license or another government-issued photo ID into your claim package.¹ If you have one, use it. Form DFS-A4-2007 exists for people who don’t.

One source of confusion worth clearing up: Florida uses a separate form, DFS-A4-2006, called the Unclaimed Property Claimant Affidavit. That one addresses a different problem. You file DFS-A4-2006 when you can’t prove you own the property and the aggregate value is $250 or less, swearing under oath that the property is yours despite the missing documentation.³ DFS-A4-2007 is about identity, not ownership. Depending on your situation you may need one, the other, both, or neither.

How to Fill Out and Notarize the Form

Enter your full legal name and current mailing address, then affirm your identity under oath. Because the form stands in for a photo ID, every detail needs to match what the Division already has in its records for the account you’re claiming. A mismatch between the name on the sworn statement and the name on the unclaimed property record will slow processing or trigger more verification requests.

Complete the form in full, then sign it in front of a notary public on the same day. Do not sign it in advance; the notary has to watch you sign. Florida law requires the notary to either know you personally or rely on satisfactory evidence of your identity, and to note in the certificate what identification was used.⁴ That’s the catch: you’re using this form precisely because you lack standard photo ID, so the notary still needs some basis for verifying you. Bring whatever you do have, such as an expired license, a Social Security card, or a birth certificate, so the notary has something to work from.

Florida caps notary fees at $10 per notarial act.⁵ Banks, UPS stores, and many public libraries offer notary services.

Where the Form Fits in Your Claim Package

The sworn statement doesn’t go in on its own. It travels with the rest of a claim package you assemble after locating your property on the state’s search site, fltreasurehunt.gov.⁶ The sequence:

Search the free database for accounts in your name.
When you find a match, follow the on-screen prompts to initiate a claim. The system generates a claim form tailored to that specific account.
Gather what the claim form lists. At a minimum that means proof of identity (your photo ID copy, or Form DFS-A4-2007 if you don’t have one) and documentation tying you to the account.¹
Mail the signed claim form, your identity verification, and all supporting documents together.

Send the package to the Division of Unclaimed Property, P.O. Box 8599, Tallahassee, FL 32314-8599.⁷ Use certified mail or another trackable method. There is no fee to file, and no deadline.¹

Claims Involving a Deceased Owner

If you’re claiming on behalf of a relative who has died, every heir must individually submit identification and sign the claim form, and the package must include a certified copy of the owner’s death certificate.¹ If any single heir lacks a photo ID, that heir can use their own Form DFS-A4-2007 as a substitute. One heir’s sworn statement does not cover anyone else; each person without ID files their own.

The probate documentation required alongside depends on whether the estate is open, closed, or small (aggregate unclaimed property of $5,000 or less), with the specifics listed on the claim form itself.²

What Happens After You Mail It

The Division has 90 days from receipt of a complete claim package to make a determination. Many claims move faster, but the full window is available.¹ The 90 days can be extended by another 60 for good cause, or if the claim involves a former bankruptcy debtor, an address outside the United States, a claimant outside the United States, or supporting documents not in English.⁸ You can check status online at fltreasurehunt.gov.⁶

Watch one deadline closely. If the Division finds errors, omissions, or insufficient documentation and asks for more information, you have 60 days from that notification to respond. Miss it and the claim is considered withdrawn.⁸ You can refile later, since there’s no statute of limitations, but you’d be starting over.

Once the Division verifies the claim, it approves release of the funds and mails payment to the address on your claim form. If you move during the review period, call the Division’s customer service line with your claim number to update the address before the check is cut.

1
Florida Department of Financial Services. Florida’s Unclaimed Property – FAQs
2
Florida Department of Financial Services. Florida Administrative Code Chapter 69I-20
3
Cornell Law Institute. Florida Administrative Code Annotated R 69G-20.0026 – Claimant Affidavit
4
Florida Senate. Florida Code 117.05 – Use of Notary Commission; Unlawful Use; Notary Fee; Seal; Duties
5
Florida Senate. Florida Code 117.05 – Use of Notary Commission; Unlawful Use; Notary Fee; Seal; Duties
6
Florida’s Unclaimed Property. Florida’s Unclaimed Property
7
Florida Department of Financial Services. Contact – Florida’s Unclaimed Property
8
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 717.124 – Unclaimed Property Claims