NV Notary Proper Signer Identification 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under Nevada law, which of the following is an acceptable form of identification for a signer the notary does not personally know?
- A current driver's license issued by any U.S. state (Correct answer)
- An expired passport from any country
- A private employer photo badge
- A voter registration card
Correct answer: A current driver's license issued by any U.S. state
Nevada accepts a current driver's license or ID card issued by a U.S. state, along with certain other government-issued documents.
Question 2: A signer presents a foreign passport as identification. When may a Nevada notary rely on it?
- Only if it has been stamped by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services or otherwise properly validated for U.S. entry (Correct answer)
- Never, foreign documents are prohibited
- Only if the signer also provides a utility bill
- Whenever the photo resembles the signer
Correct answer: Only if it has been stamped by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services or otherwise properly validated for U.S. entry
Nevada permits reliance on a foreign passport that has been properly stamped or validated for entry into the United States.
Question 3: What does 'personal knowledge' of a signer's identity mean for a Nevada notary?
- Familiarity with the individual through dealings sufficient to provide reasonable certainty of identity (Correct answer)
- Having met the person once at a public event
- Recognizing the person's name from social media
- Being introduced to the person by a coworker minutes earlier
Correct answer: Familiarity with the individual through dealings sufficient to provide reasonable certainty of identity
Personal knowledge requires familiarity arising from interactions over time that gives the notary reasonable certainty the person is who they claim to be.
Question 4: A credible witness is used to identify a signer in Nevada. Which requirement applies to that witness?
- The witness must be personally known to the notary or present valid identification, and must personally know the signer (Correct answer)
- The witness must be an attorney licensed in Nevada
- The witness must be related to the signer by blood
- The witness only needs to have met the signer that same day
Correct answer: The witness must be personally known to the notary or present valid identification, and must personally know the signer
A credible witness must personally know the signer and must either be personally known to the notary or identified by satisfactory documentation, and must take an oath.
Question 5: A signer hands the notary a driver's license that expired two months ago. What should the Nevada notary do?
- Decline to rely on it and request a current, unexpired form of acceptable identification (Correct answer)
- Accept it because it expired less than a year ago
- Accept it if the photo still looks like the signer
- Accept it if the signer also gives a verbal oath
Correct answer: Decline to rely on it and request a current, unexpired form of acceptable identification
Identification documents generally must be current, so an expired license is not satisfactory evidence of identity.
Question 6: Which of the following is NOT satisfactory evidence of identity for a Nevada notarization?
- A Social Security card (Correct answer)
- A current U.S. passport
- A current Nevada driver's license
- A current U.S. military identification card
Correct answer: A Social Security card
A Social Security card lacks a photograph and physical description, so it is not acceptable identification.
Question 7: During a notarization, the notary notices the ID photo clearly does not match the person presenting it. What is the proper course of action?
- Refuse to perform the notarization (Correct answer)
- Proceed but note the discrepancy in the journal
- Ask the signer to explain and proceed if the story is plausible
- Perform the notarization and report it afterward
Correct answer: Refuse to perform the notarization
A notary must refuse to notarize when not satisfied of the signer's identity, since proceeding would risk facilitating fraud.
NV Notary Proper Signer Identification 2
Under Nevada law, which of the following is an acceptable form of identification for a signer the notary does not personally know?