Notaries are responsible for identifying the signers of important documents and preventing fraud, which means they are able to provide services for a wide range of documents in a variety of situations. However, there are some things a notary cannot do. These include: 

Endorsing advertisements. Notaries are not allowed to use their seal or official title in advertisements to promote a product, contest, or person. Not only do certain states make it illegal to use a Notary seal and commission for anything other than permitted notarizations, but people who see the commercial may mistakenly believe it is government-approved because a Notary is involved, which is simply not the case.

Offering unauthorized legal advice. Many people believe that Notaries are legal experts who can address their concerns regarding the legal implications of their signatures, clarify how to complete a document, and help signers select the form of notarization they need. While it can be innocuous to assist a signer with these queries, the statute only allows a licensed solicitor or another certified legal professional to offer this information — Notaries are not allowed to do so. If a non-attorney mistakenly gives a signer incorrect facts, resulting in the signer's document being refused, the non-attorney may be found responsible for certain damages as well as other penalties.

According to the 2018 Notary Public Handbook of California, identification documents include: 

1. There is reasonable reliance on any one of the following forms of identification, provided

it is current or was issued within 5 years:

a. An identification card or driver’s license issued by the California Department of Motor

Vehicles;

b. A United States passport;

c. An inmate identification card issued by the California Department of Corrections and

Rehabilitation, if the inmate is in custody in California state prison;

d. Any form of inmate identification issued by a sheriff’s department, if the inmate is in

custody in a local detention facility; or

2. There is reasonable reliance on any one of the following forms of identification, provided

that it also contains a photograph, description of the person, signature of the person, and an

identifying number:

(a) A valid consular identification document issued by a consulate from the applicant’s country

of citizenship, or a valid passport from the applicant’s country of citizenship;

(b) A driver’s license issued by another state or by a Canadian or Mexican public agency

authorized to issue driver’s licenses;

(c) An identification card issued by another state;

(d) A United States military identification card (caution: current military identification cards

might not contain all the required information);

(e) An employee identification card issued by an agency or office of the State of California,

or an agency or office of a city, county, or city and county in California.

(f) An identification card issued by a federally recognized tribal government

Read the handbook here. 

If you are in need of our notary services, feel free to send us a direct message using the convenient contact form on either the "Contact Us" page or the "Get Started" button. If you would prefer to give us a call, we are available by phone at (415) 305-2124. We look forward to hearing from you!