The forms of ID a California notary accepts are set out in Civil Code Section 1185, which lists roughly a dozen government-issued photo documents split into two tiers. The top tier covers California driver’s licenses and ID cards, U.S. passports, and certain inmate IDs. The second tier covers out-of-state licenses, military IDs, foreign passports, consular cards, and a handful of other government-issued credentials, but each must meet stricter format requirements. If you can’t produce any qualifying ID, California allows a credible witness process as a fallback.
First-Tier IDs
These are the documents a California notary will accept with the fewest questions. Each needs to be either current or issued within the last five years:
- California driver’s license or state ID card issued by the DMV
- U.S. passport issued by the Department of State
- Inmate identification issued by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, or by a sheriff’s department for someone held in a local detention facility (the person must be in custody at the time)
The statute presumes these contain the identifying features a notary needs, so no additional format checks apply.
Second-Tier IDs
A broader set of documents qualifies under Civil Code Section 1185(b)(4), but every one of them must satisfy four conditions: a photo of the person named on it, a physical description, the person’s signature, and a serial or identifying number. The same five-year rule applies.
- Foreign passport from your country of citizenship, or a consular identification document issued by your country’s consulate
- Driver’s license from another U.S. state, or one issued by a Canadian or Mexican agency authorized to issue driver’s licenses
- Non-driver ID card issued by another U.S. state
- U.S. military ID from any branch of the Armed Forces
- Employee ID issued by a California state agency, county, city, or combined city and county
- Identification card issued by a federally recognized tribal government
The four-part format rule is where appointments go sideways. Foreign passports almost always clear it. Military IDs usually do. Some government employee badges lack a physical description or serial number, which disqualifies them even though the category is on the list.
The Five-Year Rule for Expired IDs
An expired ID isn’t automatically rejected. California measures from the issue date, not the expiration date. A driver’s license that expired last month but was issued four years ago still works. One issued six years ago doesn’t qualify no matter when it expired. The statute reads “current or has been issued within five years,” so either condition satisfies it, and the rule applies to both tiers.
What a California Notary Cannot Accept
Documents that lack a photo, signature, or serial number aren’t on the statutory list, so no notary has authority to accept them. The ones people most often bring and get turned away with:
- Social Security cards
- Birth certificates
- Marriage certificates
- Credit or debit cards
- Student IDs
- Temporary paper driver’s licenses (the interim document the DMV issues while your card is being produced, which usually has no photo)
Why Personal Knowledge Isn’t Enough
California is stricter than many states here. Even if the notary has known you for twenty years, they still cannot notarize your document on personal knowledge alone. The Secretary of State’s Notary Public Handbook addresses the point directly: an acknowledgment may not be taken on the basis of personal knowledge without satisfactory evidence of identity. This surprises people whose notary is a coworker, neighbor, or family friend. The notary needs to see a qualifying ID or use the credible witness process.
The Credible Witness Alternative
If you genuinely can’t produce any qualifying ID, California allows credible witnesses to vouch for you under oath. There are two versions depending on whether the notary personally knows the witness.
One Credible Witness
A single witness works only if the notary personally knows that witness. The witness must present a qualifying first-tier or second-tier ID and swear under oath that all of the following are true:
- The signer is the person named in the document.
- The witness personally knows the signer.
- The witness reasonably believes it would be very difficult or impossible for the signer to obtain acceptable identification.
- The signer does not possess any qualifying ID.
- The witness has no financial interest in the document and is not named in it.
Every condition matters. A witness named in the document, such as a co-borrower on a deed of trust, cannot serve as a credible witness for the other signer.
Two Credible Witnesses
When the notary does not personally know any available witness, two credible witnesses can substitute. Both must present valid ID and both must swear under penalty of perjury to the same five statements above. The notary does not need to know either witness personally, but both witnesses must personally know the signer.
Can You Get Notarized Remotely in California?
Not yet, as a practical matter. California enacted SB 696 in 2023 to authorize remote online notarization, where the signer appears by live video instead of in person. Some provisions took effect January 1, 2024, but the core remote notarization provisions do not become operative until the Secretary of State completes a required technology project, or by January 1, 2030, whichever comes first. Until that platform is live, every California notarization still requires the signer to appear in person with physical ID.
When remote notarization does come online, identity verification will go beyond showing an ID on camera. The notary will have to combine remote presentation of a qualifying credential from the Section 1185 list, credential analysis by a third-party service that confirms the document is genuine, and identity proofing that cross-references the signer’s information against public and proprietary databases.