As of January 2017, California Notaries may now accept ID cards issued by foreign consulates as proof of a signer’s identity — but there are some restrictions. In order to be accepted, the consular ID must be current or issued in the past five years; have a serial or identification number; and contain the signature, photograph and description of the bearer. It’s important to note that the “matricula consular” IDs issued by Mexican consulates do not meet these requirements and cannot be accepted as satisfactory evidence of a signer’s identity in California.
Acceptable forms of Identification for Notarizations
Effective January 1, 2017, Assembly Bill 2566, in conjunction with Senate Bill 997 amends Civil Code Section 1185, making the following changes:
- Foreign passports are no longer required to have a current visa stamp from USCIS or DHS.
- A valid consular identification card issued by a consulate from the applicant’s country of citizenship now acceptable.
- An ID card issued by a federally recognized tribal government is now acceptable.