What ID is Accepted in California?

California permits Notaries to accept the following forms of identification, provided they are current or issued in the past 5 years:

• A California driver’s license or nondriver’s ID
• A U.S. passport (or passport card)
• An inmate identification card issued by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation if the inmate is in prison or any form of inmate identification issued by a sheriff’s department if the inmate is in custody in a local detention facility

California also permits the following IDs, provided they are current or issued in the past 5 years and include a photograph, signature, description of the person and a serial or ID number:

• A driver’s license or official nondriver’s ID issued by a U.S. state
• A Canadian or Mexican driver’s license issued by an appropriate public agency
• A U.S. military ID
• A valid foreign passport from the applicant’s country of citizenship
• An employee ID issued by an agency or office of a California city, county, or city and county
• An identification card issued by a federally recognized tribal government