Notarial Acts & ProceduresCalifornia Notary Examination • 2026 Edition
A signer requesting an acknowledgment on a grant deed lacks any government-issued photo identification. She brings two neighbors to serve as witnesses, both carrying valid California driver's licenses. The notary public does not personally know either neighbor. Under California law, what must the notary do to properly perform this acknowledgment?
AAdminister an oath or affirmation to both witnesses under penalty of perjury, verify their valid paper identification documents, and require both witnesses to sign the notary's sequential journal.Correct Answer
BRequire only one witness to sign the document and journal, as two witnesses are strictly reserved for signatures by mark.
CAccept the witnesses' verbal statement of identity without recording their identification document details in the official journal.
DRefuse the notarization because a California notary public must personally know at least one of the credible witnesses.
Official 2026 Statutory Legal Analysis
Under Civil Code section 1185(b)(2) and Government Code section 8206(a)(2)(E), when the notary does not personally know the witnesses, identity may be established by the oaths or affirmations under penalty of perjury of two credible witnesses whose identities are proven via satisfactory paper identification. Both witnesses must sign the notary's journal, and the journal must record the type of identifying documents, serial numbers, and issuance or expiration dates presented by the witnesses.
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