4.2 Examining Identification Documents

The Four Make-or-Break Checks

Maine's reasonable-certainty standard means a notary cannot rubber-stamp an ID. Examination is an active comparison of the document against the person and the document being notarized. Four checks decide whether you may proceed:

Photo Verification

Compare facial structure, not surface appearance. Hair, weight, glasses, and facial hair change; bone structure does not. Focus on eye spacing, nose shape, ear position, and chin. Then sanity-check age: a license issued six years ago should show a slightly younger person, not a different generation.

Legitimate reasons a photo may differ:

• Weight gain or loss
• New or removed facial hair
• Hair color, length, or style change
• Glasses now versus none in the photo
• Normal aging since issuance

Rule of thumb: If a reasonable doubt remains after these allowances, ask for a second ID or decline. The standard is reasonable certainty, so unresolved doubt means you do not proceed.

Name Verification

Maine does not demand a character-for-character match between the ID and the document. The name on the ID must support the signer's claimed identity. Use judgment for variations:

If names diverge substantively (different surname not explained by marriage, an entirely different given name), request additional ID or supporting documentation before proceeding. Never simply alter the document to match the ID for the signer.

Checking the Expiration Date

This is one of the most common exam traps: a license that expired "only two weeks ago" is not acceptable, regardless of how good the photo match is.

Detecting Tampering and Counterfeits

Genuine modern IDs carry layered security: holograms that shift with angle, ultraviolet-reactive patterns, microprinting visible under magnification, and laser-engraved or embossed text. You are not expected to be a forensic examiner, but obvious anomalies trigger refusal.

When You Must Refuse

Worked example: A signer presents a state ID with a sharp, glossy photo that sits slightly proud of the card surface and edges that lift at one corner. The name matches and it is unexpired. Because the physical integrity check fails — signs of photo substitution — the notary refuses, documents the observation in the journal, and may decline further dealings. Currency and name matching cannot rescue an ID that appears altered.

Requesting a Second Identification

Maine permits — and good practice encourages — asking for additional identification whenever a single document leaves doubt. There is no statutory bar to requesting a second ID. Reasonable triggers include:

• A photo that is old, blurry, or only a partial match
• A name that varies in a way you cannot confidently resolve
• A worn card whose security features are hard to read
• Any general unease about the document's authenticity

A second qualifying ID that corroborates the first can lift the notary over the reasonable-certainty threshold. If the second ID also fails or conflicts, that confirms the decision to refuse.

Why the Notary, Not the Document, Decides

A frequent exam misconception is that a signer can cure an identity gap by attesting to their own identity on the document or in a sworn statement. They cannot. The identity determination is an independent obligation the notary performs before completing the certificate. A signer's self-assertion, a coworker's introduction, or a recital in the instrument carries no weight toward satisfactory evidence.

Documenting the Examination

Even though Maine does not require photocopying or imaging the ID, the journal entry should capture enough to reconstruct the act later: the type of ID, the issuing authority, and a non-sensitive identifier (such as the last digits or simply "ME DL"). If you refuse, record the reason — expired, photo mismatch, suspected tampering. These notes protect the notary if the transaction is ever challenged for fraud and demonstrate that the reasonable-certainty standard was actually applied.