Notaries and California Drivers Licences

[MikeNZ1984 44]

Hi Guys,

I'm in the process of adjusting status after entering on a VWP. I just did my biometrics so I'm assuming that my EAP and Work Permit can't be far away, so applying for jobs is on my mind.

Long story short I had my original of my university degree sent over here, the shipping company messed up and it was lost. I'm going through the process of getting a new one made so it's ready when it comes to applying for jobs once I have my work permit. Part of the process requires the forms to be signed by a notary public.

I went to go get this done today and they refused to accept my passport as a valid form of ID as my stamps had expired back in November (after I filed). He said that even after I got my green card that he wouldn't consider it a valid form of ID, and I'd need to leave and re enter to get a new stamp (which sounded completely incorrect to me) or use a California drivers licence as ID.

So - does the notary know what he is talking about or is he making it up as he goes.

And I understand that California has started issuing drivers licences to illegals, so I'm assuming that people who are adjusting should be able to get a local licence or ID card as well. If so is it worth me doing it now, (and dealing with the hell that is the DMV - I'm currently on my NZ Drivers licence) or should I wait until after I've got my Work Permit and AP?

Thoughts/Suggestions

[Boiler 45,538]

Use another notary would be easiest.

[MikeNZ1984 44]

Yeah, got hold of my attorney who said the same thing:

The Notary should have accepted your passport identification if the stamp was not expired more than 5 years.

The law reads as follows:

Identity of the signer can be established by the notary public’s reasonable reliance on the presentation of any one of the following documents, if the
identification document is current or has been issued within five years (Civil Code section 1185(b)(3) and (4)):
...
4. A type of identification listed below, provided that it contains a photograph, description
of the person, signature of the person, and an identifying number:
(a) A passport issued by a foreign government, provided that it has been stamped by the U.S.
Immigration and Naturalization Service or the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services;

The law does not state that the stamp must be currently valid, only that it had been stamped.

I guess I won't be using my old notary any more!

[Jawaree 717]

BS! yes notaries have to cover themselves but

with a GC it would have been a legit Gov. ID

he's either clueless or made up his mind to give

immigrants a hard time....go to another notary & go

get a license for the undocumented in the meantime

to make things easier until U get GC.