AnalysisExisting Arizona law requires identification cards presented as satisfactory evidence of identity to be issued by the U.S. government or by a state or tribal government and contain a written physical description of the person, making it impossible to use U.S. passports (no physical description) and foreign passports (not issued by the U.S. government or by a state or tribal government) as identifying documents. Senate Bill 1020 now permits use of passports for real estate conveyances and the financing of real estate only, a definite plus for Arizona Notary Signing Agents. The change also affects electronic notarizations for the above-mentioned transactions as well. The requirement that foreign passports contain documentation to establish a person’s legal presence in the U.S. is a by-product of the state’s recent enactment of a ballot measure aimed at cracking down on persons who do not have legal permission to reside in the U.S.
Read Senate Bill 1020.