Every notarization starts with confirming that the person in front of the notary is actually who they claim to be. Usually that’s a government-issued photo ID. But IDs get lost, stolen, or expire at inconvenient times, and Kansas and Missouri both allow an alternative: identification through one or more credible witnesses.
What a credible witness actually has to do
A credible witness personally knows the signer and is willing to swear, under oath, to the signer’s identity. This isn’t a casual vouching — it’s a sworn statement, and the witness themselves generally needs to be personally known to the notary or produce their own valid identification, plus in some cases sign the notary’s journal alongside the signer.
What’s generally required of the witness
- Personal knowledge of the signer — not a passing acquaintance
- Their own valid, current identification (they can’t be identity-less themselves)
- No financial interest in the document being signed
- Willingness to swear to the signer’s identity under penalty of perjury
How many witnesses does it take?
Kansas and Missouri both allow identification by one credible witness who is personally known to the notary, or a larger number of witnesses in situations where the witness isn’t personally known to the notary but is willing to be identified themselves. The exact threshold depends on the specific circumstances, which is why this is worth discussing before the appointment rather than figuring it out on the spot.
What a credible witness can’t fix
This procedure solves an identification problem — it doesn’t solve a capacity problem or a willingness problem. If the signer doesn’t appear to understand the document or seems to be signing under pressure, no number of credible witnesses changes that outcome, and the notarization still can’t proceed. Credible-witness identification is specifically for confirming who someone is, not a workaround for the rest of the notarization’s requirements.
Losing your wallet the week you need something notarized is more common than people expect. It’s usually solvable — it just takes an extra phone call before the appointment, not during it.
Lost or expired ID before an appointment?
Call ahead and we’ll walk through whether credible-witness identification will work for your situation.