3.2 Personal Knowledge & Identification Documents
Key Takeaways
Personal knowledge means familiarity from interactions over a period of time sufficient to dispel any reasonable uncertainty about the person's identity (Section 486.600(17)).
A qualifying ID is a current federal, state, or tribal government document, in a language the notary understands, showing the person's photograph, signature, and physical description (Section 486.600(21)(a)).
A properly stamped passport qualifies even though it lacks a physical description.
The journal records the ID type, issuing agency, serial or identification number, and date of issuance or expiration (Section 486.705.1(6)(b)).
A notary may never record a Social Security number or credit card number in the journal (Section 486.705.2).
Section 486.645.1(2) allows a notarial act only if the principal is personally known to the notary or identified through satisfactory evidence. This section covers personal knowledge and identification documents; Section 3.3 covers credible witnesses.
Personal Knowledge
Section 486.600(17) defines personal knowledge of identity as "familiarity with an individual resulting from interactions with that individual over a period of time sufficient to dispel any reasonable uncertainty that the individual has the identity claimed."
| Situation | Personal knowledge? |
|---|---|
| A coworker the notary has worked beside for three years | Yes |
| A neighbor the notary has known by name for a decade | Yes |
| A customer the notary met for the first time this morning | No |
| A celebrity the notary has seen on television | No; there were no interactions |
| A person a coworker "vouches for" in passing | No; that is not the notary's own familiarity (a credible witness needs an oath) |
When relying on personal knowledge, the certificate uses "(personally known to me)" and the journal states that the person is personally known to the notary (Section 486.705.1(6)(a)).
Documentary Satisfactory Evidence
Section 486.600(21)(a) defines satisfactory evidence based on documents as:
At least one current document issued by a federal, state, or tribal government in a language understood by the notary and bearing the photographic image of the individual's face and signature and a physical description of the individual, or a properly stamped passport without a physical description.
Break that into a checklist:
| Element | What to check |
|---|---|
| Current | Not expired; the statute says "current" |
| Government issuer | Federal, state, or tribal government; not an employer, school club, or store |
| Language | The notary can read it |
| Photograph | Image of the person's face |
| Signature | The holder's signature appears on the document |
| Physical description | Such as height, eye color, or sex; not required for a properly stamped passport |
Documents that commonly meet the test, if current and containing every element, include a Missouri driver's license or nondriver ID card, another state's driver's license or ID card, and a passport. The Secretary's FAQ recommends a government-issued ID with the signer's picture and signature, "such as a drivers' license or passport," and notes that while the choice is the notary's, the ID "must satisfactorily prove the signer's identity."
Documents that do not meet the definition:
- an expired license or ID card (not current);
- a Social Security card or birth certificate (no photograph);
- a credit or debit card, even with a photo (not government-issued);
- a private employee badge or warehouse-club card (not government-issued);
- a photocopy or a phone picture of an ID (the notary needs the document itself).
Examining the ID
- Compare the photo and physical description with the person in front of you.
- Compare the name on the ID with the name on the document and the name the person will sign.
- Compare the signature on the ID with the signature the person makes or has made.
- Look for signs of tampering: peeled laminate, mismatched fonts, altered dates.
- Confirm the ID is current.
If any check fails and no credible witness is available, the notary should decline. Knowingly failing to identify a principal by personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence is a misdemeanor (Section 578.700.2(2)).
Recording the ID in the Journal
When identity rests on a document, Section 486.705.1(6)(b) requires a notation of:
- the type of identification document;
- its issuing agency;
- its serial or identification number; and
- its date of issuance or expiration.
Important
The license or ID number is required in the journal. What is prohibited is different: Section 486.705.2 states that a notary "shall not record a Social Security number or credit card number in the journal."
On the certificate, the notary completes the clause "(proved to me through identification documents, which were _____)" by naming the document, for example "a current Missouri driver's license."
Remote Online Identification
In a remote online notarization, the signer is not present to hand over a card. Section 486.1145 replaces physical inspection with remote presentation of the credential, credential analysis, and identity proofing, under rules the Secretary has adopted (15 CSR 30-110.040 and .050). Section 6.3 covers those rules.
Exam Scenarios
- Expired last week. A signer's only ID is a driver's license that expired seven days ago. It is not "current." The notary must use another current ID or credible witnesses, or decline.
- Passport without description. A U.S. passport lists no height or weight. The statute's passport clause accepts a properly stamped passport without a physical description.
- Journal privacy. The notary writes "MO DL, Missouri Department of Revenue, No. A123456789, exp. 05/2029" in the journal and never writes the signer's Social Security number.
Which document, if current, meets the documentary definition of satisfactory evidence in Section 486.600(21)(a) RSMo?
A bank debit card printed with the holder's photograph
A Social Security card bearing the holder's signature
A state driver's license showing the holder's photo, signature, and physical description
A private employer badge showing the holder's photograph, signature, height, and eye color
When a notary identifies a principal by an ID card, what must the journal record about it under Section 486.705 RSMo?
Only the ID type, because ID numbers are forbidden in the journal
A photocopy of the ID taped to the page and the signer's Social Security number
The signer's height, weight, and eye color from the ID
The ID type, issuing agency, serial or ID number, and date of issuance or expiration
A signer's only identification is a driver's license that expired last month. No one present knows the signer. What should the notary do?
Proceed, because Missouri allows IDs expired for up to five years
Proceed and write "expired ID accepted" in the journal entry
Decline, because the license is not a current document
Proceed if the signer also shows a utility bill in the same name
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.