Members of this movement sometimes ask Notaries to sign and stamp these documents to give them the appearance of legal authority. While notarization does confirm the signers’ identity and willingness to sign the documents, it does not validate the legality or enforceability of a document.
Recently, the California Secretary of State started sending letters to Notaries who notarized such requests indicating that these documents “fall within the category of filings/registrations which can be refused based on a reasonable belief that the filing/registration is unlawful, false, or for a fraudulent purpose, or is being requested or submitted in bad faith or to harass or defraud a person or entity. (California Government Code section 12181).”
Notaries should not refuse a notarization request because of a signer’s political position. Still, you should not perform a notarization if you have reason to believe the transaction is illegal or if the signer cannot provide satisfactory proof of identity.
Warning Signs
If you are asked to notarize a document related to the sovereign citizen movement, be alert for these warning signs that the document may be used for illegal purposes:
- Documents featuring red thumbprints or signatures in red ink.
- Zip codes are enclosed in brackets (e.g., [91344]).
- Signature lines include phrases like “all rights reserved” or “not a citizen of the United States.”
- Statements indicating the signer is exempt from government laws, regulations, and taxes.
- We request that you certify the facts in the document. Notaries do not verify any information listed in any document.
- Documents indicate the government owes a high dollar amount (for example, in the millions or billions) to the signer or signer’s family.
Also, some identification documents presented to Notaries by sovereign citizen signers may have official-sounding titles but are not issued by a government agency. Examples include identification cards labeled “Global Citizen,” “Free State Republic,” “World Passport,” or “American National.” These IDs are not government-issued and should not be accepted to identify a signer.
If you have questions about your state’s rules for refusing suspicious notarization requests or unfamiliar signer ID, or you are asked to perform a notarization you think may be illegal, you can call the NNA Notary Hotline or your state Notary regulating agency for help.
John Jacobson is a member of the Information Services team at the National Notary Association and regularly answers questions from Notaries on the NNA Notary Hotline.