HRS §456-20
Notary penalties for failing to check identity
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗A notary who knowingly notarizes a document without properly checking the signer's identity commits a crime. This can lead to a misdemeanor conviction and automatic loss of their notary license.
notaries
The statute, as written — Failure to verify identity and signature
A copy, taken August 20, 2026. The version published by the Legislature is the one that governs, and it may have changed since. Check it before relying on anything here.
(a) A person commits the offense of failure to verify identity if the person is a commissioned notary public and knowingly notarizes a document and if a witness to the signing of the instrument, fails to verify the identity of the signer by proof of the signer's signature and identity, or by obtaining satisfactory evidence of identity of a remotely located individual under section 456-23. (b) Any person who violates this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be sentenced in accordance with chapter 706. (c) A conviction under this section shall result in the automatic revocation of the notary public's commission.
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