• The document or form requiring notarization must be completely filled out, except the signature.

• The signer(s) must be present at the time of the appointment, no exceptions.

• The signer(s) must provide an original photo I.D., non-expired. For more information, please refer to “What is considered an acceptable identification document?”

• The Notary must be able to communicate directly with the individual for whom a Notary act is being performed in a language they both understand.

• The signer(s) must fully understand the document being notarized and must be willing to sign the document on their own free will. If the signer does or says anything that makes the Notary think the signer is being pressured to sign, the Notary will refuse to notarize the document.

• If any of the documents to be notarized require a witness to be present at the time of signing, it is the signer(s) responsibility to facilitate the presence of the witness. Witnesses must provide an original photo I.D. , non expired. For more information, please refer to “What is considered an acceptable identification document?”

I am item

A Notary may identify a document signer through any of the identification documents listed below:

• Florida driver’s license or identification card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

• U.S. passport issued by the U.S. Department of State.

• Foreign passport if stamped by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

• Driver’s license or non-driver’s ID issued by another U.S. state or territory.

• Driver’s license officially issued in Mexico or Canada.

• U.S. Military ID

• Inmate ID issued on or after January 1, 1991, by the Florida Department of Corrections or Federal Bureau of Prisons (but only to identify prisoners in custody).

• A sworn, written statement from a sworn law enforcement officer explaining that an inmate’s ID was confiscated upon incarceration, and that the person named in the document is the person whose signature is to be notarized.

• Permanent resident card, or ‘green card’ issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). 

• A veteran health identification card issued by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.

content. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Unacceptable ID cards for identifying acknowledgers include, but are not limited to the following:

• Birth Certificates

• Social Security Cards

• Credit Cards

• Driver’s License without a photograph

• Health Care Directives

• Last Will and Testaments

• Living Wills 

• Power of Attorney

• Trusts

A wedding officiant is someone who performs a legal marriage ceremony. 

Florida is one of the few U.S. states that allows Notaries to perform marriages. Before the ceremony, the couple must present a valid marriage license to the Notary. To learn more about how to apply for a marriage license in Broward County, please visit The Broward County Clerk of Court Website.

The I-9 Form, issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) verifies the identity and employment eligibility for employees hired in the U.S. The form is to be completed by both the employee and the employer (or authorized representative). As part of the process, the employee must present documents verifying his or her eligibility to work in the U.S., and the employer (or authorized representative) must physically examine these documents.

According to the USCIS Handbook for Employers, if the employer is unable to meet with the employee to execute the form, they “may designate someone to fill out Forms I-9 for you, such as a personnel officer, foreman, agent, or anyone else acting on your behalf, such as a notary public.”

An apostille is the authentication of a public document in a foreign country. Documents eligible for apostille include: a marriage license, birth certificate, death certificate, affidavit of single status, school transcript, power of attorney, diploma, vehicle title, consent to travel, adoption records, criminal background checks, official records, divorce decrees, social security benefit verification letters, wills, court documents, and many others.

The apostille certifies the authenticity of the issuing official or notary public’s signature.

Each state designates a Competent Authority who issues an apostille for a public document. The Florida Secretary of State is the Competent Authority in Florida.

People applying for a motor vehicle title in Florida must have their car inspected physically by a person authorized to certify a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). The State of Florida allows a notary public to verify VIN numbers on vehicles.