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HRS §502-48

Proving who you are when signing a property document

Before a notary can take your acknowledgment on a property document, the notary must be sure you are the person named in the document. You can prove this by being personally known to the notary, having a credible witness swear to your identity, showing a valid photo ID with your signature, or providing remote identity evidence under another law.

home sellershomebuyershomeownersnotariesreal estate agents

The statute, as written — Identification of person making

No acknowledgment of any conveyance or other instrument, except as provided by this chapter, whereby any real estate is conveyed or may be affected, shall be taken, unless the person offering to make the acknowledgment is personally known to the notary public taking the acknowledgment to be the person whose name is subscribed to the conveyance or instrument as a party thereto, or is proved to be such by the oath or affirmation of a credible witness known to the notary public, or by production of a valid identification card or document issued by the United States, this State, any other state, or a national government that contains the bearer's photograph and signature, or by obtaining satisfactory evidence of identity of a remotely located individual under section 456-23.
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗as published Jan 6, 2026our copy taken Aug 20, 2026

LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.