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Knowledge-based Authentication (KBA)

Casey Birkholz
  • Updated

Knowledge-based authentication, commonly referred to as KBA, is a method of authentication that seeks to prove the identity of someone accessing a service.

Notarize uses Knowledge-based Authentication (KBA) as one method of identity proofing. The methods available for verifying a signer's identity vary depending on the state in which the notary is commissioned.

Note: KBA questions can be generated for anyone residing in the 50 United States or these 3 U.S. Territories: Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and U.S. Virgin Islands.

Personal Information Requirements

Signers provide their name, address, date of birth (DOB), and the last 4 digits of their Social Security Number (SSN). The system then generates questions based on information in a person's credit history and other data records.

Note: Notarize does not use the last 4 of a person's SSN for anything other than presenting the KBA questions. 

KBA Questions

Questions presented during the quiz can and will vary for each signer. All questions about the signer or their history may include property, vehicle, phone, and several other categories related to the signer:

  • Signers may be presented with questions about others with a shared property interest.

If the signer cannot generate questions after verifying their information, it is either because there is not enough personal data to generate the minimum number of required questions or they've used all available KBA questions related to them.

Passing KBA 

  • Signers have 2 minutes to answer 4 out of 5 challenge questions correctly to verify their identity.
  • Signers have 2 attempts to answer the questions; if they are unsuccessful both times, they can try again after 24 hours.
  • If they fail the retake, they have 1 more try before being locked out for 48 hours.

Additional Articles 

Depending on your user type, you may have access to some or all of the following related resources. Be sure you are logged in to the Knowledge Base to view all of the articles available to you!

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