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Credible Witness Affidavit

"The credible witness affidavit as a means of identification is for the client who is not personally known to the notary, has no form of identification, and cannot be reasonably expected to obtain an acceptable ID card. These clients are frequently elderly people who live in a nursing home environment and have mobility issues. They haven’t driven a car in years, and it would be unreasonable to expect the person to be taken to the Department of Motor Vehicles to obtain a non-driver’s identity card. Certain handicapped people may also fall into this category. Use your judgment when deciding if your client is eligible for identification by a credible witness.

A credible witness or witnesses may NOT be used to identify a client for the sake of convenience. If the able-bodied client has let his driver’s license expire, he must obtain a current license. If someone has left his ID card at home, he must return home and get the existing ID card. In addition, keep in mind that since the credible witness(es) will serve as identification for the document signer, the credible witness(es) affidavit must be obtained before performance of the notarial act for the document signer.

Our discussion of the process for using a credible witness(es) will be general in nature. Read your state’s statutes regarding the use of credible witness(es) before attempting to use this method of identifying a client."

*American Society Of Notaries

Signing Contract
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