Will a Notary Accept a Digital Driver Licence?

Sometimes, but do not rely on it. Each notary decides what identification they accept, and for documents going overseas most prefer an original passport, because foreign bodies often expect passport details in the notarial certificate. A digital driver licence may be accepted as supporting identification, but many notaries still ask for a physical photo ID. Ask before your appointment.

Key takeaways

• A notary must be satisfied of your identity, and chooses what evidence to accept. There is no single national list for notaries.
• For documents going overseas, an original passport is usually the safest primary ID.
• A digital driver licence shown live in the official app may be accepted as supporting ID by some notaries, but not all.
• A screenshot of a digital licence is not identification, and cannot be certified as a true copy.
• If the notary must certify a copy of your licence, bring the physical card where you have one.

Why do notaries care so much about identification?

Confirming identity is at the heart of a notarial act. When a notary witnesses your signature, the notarial certificate tells a foreign court, registry or bank that the person who signed is the person named. Foreign authorities rely on that statement, sometimes years later, and often without any other way to check. If the notary is wrong about who signed, the whole document can fail, and the notary's professional responsibility is engaged.

So notaries tend to be conservative about identification, and some foreign bodies set their own expectations, such as passport numbers in the certificate. That caution is a feature, not an obstacle. Our guide to how notaries verify identity explains the process in more detail.

What is a digital driver licence?

Several Australian states and territories now offer digital driver licences in an official government app, usually alongside the physical card. The digital version carries security features designed to show it is live and genuine, such as moving elements, a refresh function or a code that can be checked. The details differ between states, and some states offer different verification methods for businesses and officials.

A digital licence is designed mainly for everyday identity checks within Australia, such as at a venue or with police. Whether it satisfies a particular organisation's identity requirements is up to that organisation. Some Australian bodies accept it readily; others still ask for the physical card or a passport.

Will a notary accept it?

It depends on the notary and on the document. Some notaries accept a digital licence shown live in the official app as supporting identification, alongside a passport. Some accept it as primary identification for documents staying in Australia. Others do not accept digital licences at all, because they cannot inspect the physical security features, cannot easily record the details, or because the foreign body expects a passport.

What is almost never accepted is a screenshot. A screenshot shows none of the app's live security features and could have been edited, so it does not prove anything about the person holding the phone. If you plan to use a digital licence, open it in the official app at the appointment and be ready to follow any verification steps the notary asks for.

Why is a passport usually preferred for overseas documents?

Many foreign authorities are used to seeing passport details in notarial certificates, and some require them. A passport is also internationally recognised, carries the same name you will use on overseas forms, and can be checked against your visa or residence records in the destination country. A driver licence, digital or physical, is a domestic document that a foreign official may not recognise.

So for powers of attorney, affidavits, company documents and certified copies going abroad, bring your passport as primary identification wherever you have one. If your passport has expired or is with an embassy, tell the notary in advance, so they can say what else they will accept. Our guide to ID accepted for notarisation lists the usual options.

Identification	Documents staying in Australia	Documents going overseas
Current passport	Usually accepted	Usually preferred
Physical driver licence	Usually accepted	Often as supporting ID
Digital driver licence, live in app	At the notary's discretion	Often as supporting ID, if at all
Screenshot of a digital licence	Not accepted	Not accepted
Expired passport	Sometimes, with other ID	Ask first; often not enough alone
Proof of age card or other photo ID	Sometimes, with other ID	Usually supporting ID only

Can a notary certify a copy of a digital licence?

This is harder than it sounds. A certified copy says that a copy matches an original the notary has examined. For a physical card, the notary copies both sides and certifies the copy. For a digital licence, the "original" is a live display in an app, and a printout or screenshot cannot capture its moving security features. Some notaries will record what they viewed on the screen, in a certificate describing the display; others will decline and ask for the physical card.

If an overseas bank or employer wants a certified copy of your driver licence, bring the physical card where you have one. If you only have a digital licence, ask the receiving body whether it will accept a certified copy of your passport instead, which is usually simpler. Our guide to a notarised driver licence copy covers the physical card.

What about JPs and other witnesses?

Justices of the Peace and other authorised witnesses for statutory declarations also check identity, and many will accept a digital licence shown live in the app, but practice varies from person to person. Government guidance for JPs in some states addresses digital licences specifically. If you are seeing a JP for an Australian document, bringing your physical licence or passport as well avoids any doubt. For Commonwealth statutory declarations, the Attorney-General's Department's statutory declarations guidance explains the witness's role.

What if you have no physical photo ID at all?

Some people genuinely have no current passport or physical licence, for example because a passport is being renewed, a licence was cancelled, or they have only just arrived. Tell the notary when you book. A notary may accept a combination of other documents, such as a birth certificate, a Medicare card, a bank card and an expired passport, together with a digital licence, depending on the document and destination. The notary may also record in the certificate exactly what identification was produced.

For some documents and some countries, nothing short of a current passport will do. In that case, the practical answer may be to wait until your new passport arrives, or to ask the foreign body whether it will accept an alternative. Our guide to what happens if a notary refuses to notarise explains why identity doubts lead to a refusal.

How do you prepare your identification?

1. Ask the notary which identification they accept for your document and destination.
2. Bring your current passport for any document going overseas.
3. Bring your physical licence if a copy of it is to be certified.
4. Open the official app, not a screenshot, if you plan to show a digital licence.
5. Check names match between your ID and the document, and bring evidence of any name change.

Will digital identification change notarial practice?

Probably, over time. Governments are expanding digital credentials and digital identity services, and some notarial processes already use verified digital identity for particular purposes, such as some Commonwealth statutory declarations made digitally. But notarial acts for overseas use depend on what foreign authorities accept, and many still expect a notary to have inspected a physical, internationally recognised document. Until foreign practice changes, a passport will remain the dependable choice for documents going abroad. Our guide to remote notaries covers related changes.

What does this look like in practice?

Here is an illustration, not a real case. Jess, in Brisbane, keeps only her digital licence on her phone and has booked a notary to witness a power of attorney for property in Italy.

When she books, the notary explains that for an Italian document they need her passport as primary identification, because the Italian notaio expects passport details in the certificate, and that her digital licence can be shown as supporting ID. Jess brings her passport and opens the licence app at the appointment. The notary records the passport details in the certificate, and the document is accepted in Italy.

In short

A notary may accept a digital driver licence, usually as supporting identification shown live in the official app, but the decision is the notary's. For documents going overseas, bring your passport, because foreign bodies often expect its details. A screenshot is never identification, and a certified copy of a licence is simplest from the physical card. Ask the notary what they accept before your appointment.

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Not sure your identification will satisfy the notary? Send us the document and the ID you hold, and we will explain each step before you book.