Identification and Verification Flashcards

A title company emails the notary a copy of the signer's driver's license before the appointment, but the signer forgets the license at the in-person signing. The notary should:

Answer: Not rely on the emailed copy and instead establish identity by another lawful method or decline

Satisfactory evidence requires the notary to examine the actual identification presented by the individual, not a copy supplied by a third party.

Which combination of features must an identification document generally have to qualify under New Mexico's RULONA?

Answer: Issued by a government and containing the signature or photograph of the individual

RULONA requires the ID to be issued by a federal, state, or foreign government and to contain the individual's signature or photograph.

A signer presents a tribal identification card issued by a federally recognized tribe. The notary should:

Answer: Accept it if it meets the requirements for a government-issued ID with photo or signature

An ID issued by a federally recognized tribal government can qualify as satisfactory evidence when it bears the required photo or signature.

The notary suspects the ID presented is counterfeit because the lamination is peeling and fonts are inconsistent. The best course of action is to:

Answer: Refuse to perform the notarization because satisfactory evidence is lacking

A notary who is not satisfied that the ID is genuine lacks satisfactory evidence and must refuse the act.

A credible witness has no ID but claims the notary met him once at a conference years ago. May the notary rely on him to identify the signer?

Answer: No, because the notary lacks personal knowledge of the witness and the witness has no satisfactory evidence of identity

The notary must either personally know the credible witness or identify the witness with satisfactory evidence, and one brief meeting establishes neither.

In a hospital, an elderly patient's face is partially bandaged and the notary cannot match her to her license photo. Which option is most appropriate?

Answer: Use a credible witness, such as a personally known relative not named in the document, sworn under oath

When the photo cannot be matched, a properly sworn credible witness who knows the signer is a lawful alternative method of identification.

Which best states the purpose of the identification requirement in notarial law?

Answer: To give the notary reasonable certainty the signer is the person named in the record, deterring fraud and impersonation

Identification exists to prevent impersonation by confirming the person appearing is the person named in the document.