Remote online notarization, explained for business teams

In a remote online notarization, a notary commissioned for RON meets the signer through an audio-video session. The signer proves their identity through remote identity proofing, signs electronically, and the notary completes the notarial certificate and applies a digital seal and digital certificate. The session is recorded, and the notary keeps a journal entry for it.

Three things separate RON from other ways of notarizing:

• The signer is not in the same room as the notary.
• Identity is verified with ID credential analysis and knowledge-based authentication, in addition to the notary's own observation.
• The result is an electronic record sealed so that any later change is detectable.

Most US states have enacted laws that authorize their notaries to perform remote online notarization, many of them modeled on the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts. The law that governs the act is generally the law of the state where the notary is commissioned and physically located during the session.

State laws commonly set the same core requirements:

• The notary holds a commission or registration that allows remote notarization.
• The signer's identity is verified with remote identity proofing and credential analysis, or the signer is personally known to the notary.
• The session uses live audio and video that lets the notary and the signer see and hear each other.
• The session is recorded and the recording is kept for a period set by the state.
• The notary records the act in an electronic journal.

Details differ from state to state, including retention periods and which documents are excluded. ENotary applies the rules of the notary's commissioning state to each session. Read more in our guide to remote online notarization states.

A notarial act performed by a notary commissioned in one state is generally recognized in other states under their laws on recognition of notarial acts. That is why a title company in one state can close with a seller who signs from another state, as long as the notary follows the law of the commissioning state.

Recognition is not the same as acceptance by every recipient. A county recorder decides whether it records electronic documents, a court applies its filing rules, and a bank can ask for its own forms. Checking with the recipient before the session saves a second session later.

County recorder:

does the recorder accept electronically notarized documents, or does it want a paper copy certified by the notary?

Court:

do the local rules accept a remotely notarized affidavit or declaration?

Bank or lender:

which notarial certificate wording does it expect, and does it accept RON?

Foreign authority:

does the document need an apostille from the notary's commissioning state? See online notary and apostille.

The document check on our homepage turns these questions into a checklist for your document.

Remote online notarization is one of three ways to notarize without paper in the same room. In-person electronic notarization (IPEN) keeps the signer and the notary in the same room but uses an electronic document and seal. Remote ink-signed notarization uses video but a paper document that is mailed afterwards. ENotary runs RON sessions. The differences are explained on the electronic notary page.

• Session room in the browser with support for multiple signers and witnesses.
• Identity checks before the notary joins: ID credential analysis, knowledge-based authentication and a liveness selfie.
• Digital notary seal and certificate applied to a tamper-evident PDF.
• Audit trail, journal entry and recording reference kept in your workspace.
• Notary network sessions included in your monthly plan, and your own notaries on the same platform.