Certifying Officer for Savings Bonds: Banks, Notaries, and Military

A certifying officer for savings bonds is someone federal regulations authorize to witness your signature on Treasury forms and vouch for your identity. The list is broader than most people realize: officers and designated employees at banks, trust companies, credit unions, and Federal Reserve or Federal Home Loan Banks all qualify, along with notaries public, federal judges and court clerks, and certain military and consular officers. The full roster lives in 31 CFR § 315.55 for Series E and EE bonds and 31 CFR § 353.55 for Series EE and HH bonds.1eCFR. 31 CFR 315.55 – Individuals Authorized to Certify

Who Qualifies as a Certifying Officer

Treasury regulations give general certifying authority to officers at a specific set of financial institutions and federal offices. Any one of the following people can certify your signature on a savings bond form, regardless of who you are or where you live:

  • Any officer of a bank or trust company incorporated in the United States, its territories, or Puerto Rico, including domestic and foreign branches.
  • Any officer of a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank System, including federal savings and loan associations.
  • Any officer of a Federal Reserve Bank, a Federal Land Bank, or a Federal Home Loan Bank.
  • Any employee at those institutions who has been expressly authorized by the institution to certify. These employees sign over the title “Designated Employee.”
  • Any officer of an organization qualified as a savings bond issuing agent, even if it isn’t a bank or trust company.
  • Any judge, clerk, or deputy clerk of a United States court, including territorial courts.
  • United States Commissioners and United States Attorneys.
1eCFR. 31 CFR 315.55 – Individuals Authorized to Certify

Credit union officers fall under the same authority as bank officers for savings bond purposes, and most people find their own bank or credit union the easiest place to start.

Notaries Public Count Too

One of the most persistent myths about savings bond certification is that a notary public cannot sign off. The confusion comes from the rules for other Treasury securities, such as marketable bonds and notes governed by 31 CFR Part 306, which do restrict notary certification. Savings bonds are governed by different regulations, and those regulations accept notaries.

FS Form 1522, the standard form for cashing paper savings bonds, explicitly directs each signer to appear before “a notary or authorized certifying officer.”2TreasuryDirect. FS Form 1522 – Special Form of Request for Payment of United States Savings and Retirement Securities FS Form 5444, the TreasuryDirect account authorization form, works the same way and can be certified by either a notary or a certifying officer at a financial institution.3TreasuryDirect. FS Form 5444 – TreasuryDirect Account Authorization If a bank turns you away or you don’t have one nearby, a notary is a fully valid alternative. The notary must apply their seal or stamp for the certification to be accepted.4TreasuryDirect. Signature Certification

Military, Federal, and Overseas Certifiers

Some officers have limited authority, meaning they can only certify signatures for specific groups of people.

Commissioned and warrant officers of the Armed Forces can certify for service members, their families, and civilian employees stationed at the same post, base, or installation. The officer must write their rank on the form and include a statement confirming the signer is someone whose signature they’re authorized to certify under Treasury regulations.4TreasuryDirect. Signature Certification1eCFR. 31 CFR 315.55 – Individuals Authorized to Certify

Officers at Veterans Administration facilities can certify only for patients and employees of that facility. Similar limits apply to officers at federal prisons and U.S. Public Health Service hospitals.1eCFR. 31 CFR 315.55 – Individuals Authorized to Certify

If you live outside the United States, U.S. diplomatic or consular officials at embassies and consulates can certify your signature using their office seal or stamp. Officers and managers at foreign branches of U.S. banks can also certify. A foreign notary public will work as well, but only if a U.S. diplomatic or consular official separately certifies the notary’s authority.4TreasuryDirect. Signature Certification

When You Actually Need Certification

Not every bond transaction needs a certified signature. The dividing line is $1,000 in current redemption value. If you’re mailing in paper bonds for payment and the total is $1,000 or less, you can sign FS Form 1522 without any certification, provided you include a photocopy of a current driver’s license, passport, state ID, or military ID.2TreasuryDirect. FS Form 1522 – Special Form of Request for Payment of United States Savings and Retirement Securities Once the total exceeds $1,000, every person whose signature appears on the form must have it certified.5TreasuryDirect. Cash EE or I Savings Bonds

Certification is also required when you request reissue (changing ownership or registration) or handle bonds from a deceased person’s estate. Electronic bonds held in a TreasuryDirect account are redeemed through the website and skip paper certification entirely.

What the Certifying Officer Must Do

Do not sign the form before you arrive. The certifying officer must watch you sign, and this is a hard rule. If you’ve already signed, they cannot certify the form and you’ll need a fresh copy.6eCFR. 31 CFR 315.56 – Certification Procedure

Bring valid government-issued photo identification: a current driver’s license, U.S. passport, state ID, or military ID. The officer must verify your identity before witnessing your signature, then complete the certification block with their own signature, title, address, the date, and an institutional stamp or seal.

For banks and trust companies, the regulation requires a legible imprint of the institution’s corporate stamp or its paying agent stamp. A bank address stamp alone will not do.1eCFR. 31 CFR 315.55 – Individuals Authorized to Certify3TreasuryDirect. FS Form 5444 – TreasuryDirect Account Authorization Institutions that participate in Treasury-recognized signature guarantee programs (STAMP, SEMP, or MSP) can use their medallion guarantee stamp instead. When a Medallion stamp is used on FS Form 1522, the officer’s original handwritten signature is still required.2TreasuryDirect. FS Form 1522 – Special Form of Request for Payment of United States Savings and Retirement Securities4TreasuryDirect. Signature Certification

Notaries apply their notary seal or stamp. Military officers add their rank and the required statement of authority. U.S. court officials use the seal of the court. The officer should also note how they established your identity, whether on the back of the bond, on the form, or in a separate record. Both the certifying officer and their institution are jointly liable if the identification turns out to have been inadequate.6eCFR. 31 CFR 315.56 – Certification Procedure

If a Bank Turns You Away

Banks are not required by federal regulation to certify signatures for non-customers.7eCFR. 31 CFR 363.43 – Procedures for Certifying Signatures This surprises people who have inherited bonds and don’t have an account at the institution where the deceased banked. Some banks will help anyone who walks in; others will not.

Your own bank or credit union is the natural first stop, since your identity is already on file. If that fails, a notary public is often easier to find and just as valid for savings bond forms. A different branch of the same bank sometimes has a different policy. Military families can use a commissioned or warrant officer in their branch. And if none of those work, a U.S. court clerk’s office has the authority.