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CT Notary: Signature, Identification, and Personal Appearance Requirements

CT Notary · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

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Signature, Identification, and Personal Appearance Requirements

Three Gates Before the Stamp

Every notarial act passes through three gates: personal appearance, satisfactory identification, and a signature that matches the person and the document.

Personal Appearance

Personal appearance means the signer is physically before the notary - not on the phone, not represented by a friend holding the paper, not a signature mailed in. A notary may not notarize for someone who is not present, even if the notary knows them well.

Identification

Satisfactory evidence of identity generally means:

  1. A current government-issued photo ID that is unexpired or recently expired as the statute allows, bearing a physical description and signature, presented by the signer; or
  2. A credible witness who personally knows the signer and swears to identity, used only when ID is unavailable and the statute permits; or
  3. Personal knowledge of the signer, where recognized.

The notary must actually examine the ID - check the photo, name, and expiration - and record the method in the journal.

Signature

For a jurat, the signer signs in the notary's presence. For an acknowledgment, the signature may pre-exist, but the signer must appear and acknowledge it. The name on the ID, the name signed, and the name in the certificate should be reconcilable; note variations (maiden name, suffix) in the journal.

Traps to Expect

  • A signer's adult child presenting "Mom's" document to be notarized - no appearance, no act.
  • An expired ID offered as satisfactory without checking the statutory allowance.
  • A credible witness who is also a beneficiary of the document - not disinterested, so not credible.
  • Assuming video calls satisfy appearance absent an authorized remote process.

Rule of Thumb

See them, check the ID, watch the pen (for jurats), and write down how you knew who they were.

Worked Example

A man brings his father's signed will to be notarized while the father waits in the car. The notary must decline: the signer did not personally appear, and the certificate would be false.