I disagree that a US Visa that says
Surname
Doe
Given Name
FNU
is making a statement that the visitor's actual surname is Doe and the visitor's actual given name is FNU.
We ***MUST*** interpret ID documents in accord with commonly used conventions followed by the issuers of those documents, together with common conventions about how names are written in the documents we notarize, such as deeds and oaths of office. So if I were visiting California when it came time for me to take my oath of office a notary, and present the oath form that says Legal name: Gerard Ashton together with my Vermont driver license which gives the name as
Ashton
Gerard J
it would be perfectly correct and would constitute "reasonable reliance" for the notary to recall that DMVs often write the surname first on driver licenses, and therefore the two names are consistent. This is no different than taking into account the State Department's published policy about how they write names in visas.
In the case of "FNA" showing up in a document, I think I'm in a better position to be a little flexible than a California. In past newsletter or the like, the notary section of the CA SOS office have indicated that notaries are not allowed to connect the dots. In Vermont, on the other hand, "Additional information. A notary public may require an individual to provide additional information or identification credentials necessary to assure the notary public of the identity of the individual." So if the individual could demonstrate he/she has been using FNU as an actual first name for a considerable period I could accept it. |
