Texas House · Filed Mar 10, 2025
06/20/2025 E Effective immediately
Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report · Engrossed · Senate Committee Report · Enrolled
Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.
Sponsors
House committee · Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence · Committee vote 10 aye, 1 nay · Out of committee
Senate committee · State Affairs · Committee vote 10 aye, 0 nay, 1 absent · Out of committee
Subjects
Civil Remedies & Liabilities
Notaries
IDENTIFICATION CARDS
Text
The text as introduced · 213 words
89R9485 AMF-D
By: Swanson
H.B. No. 4202
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to proof of identity of a person making an acknowledgment
of a written instrument.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 121.005(a), Civil Practice and Remedies
Code, is amended to read as follows:
(a) An officer may not take the acknowledgment of a written
instrument unless the officer knows or has satisfactory evidence
that the acknowledging person is the person who executed the
instrument and is described in it. An officer may accept, as
satisfactory evidence of the identity of an acknowledging person,
only:
(1) the oath of a credible witness who:
(A) is personally known to the officer; or
(B) provides the officer with a current
identification card or other document issued by the federal
government or any state government that contains the photograph and
signature of the witness;
(2) a current identification card or other document
issued by the federal government or any state government that
contains the photograph and signature of the acknowledging person;
or
(3) with respect to a deed or other instrument
relating to a residential real estate transaction, a current
passport issued by a foreign country.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.
Monitoring 
