Notarization audit trail, encryption and retention
When a notarization is questioned, your team needs to show who signed, how identity was checked and whether the document changed afterwards. ENotary records all of it for every session and keeps it encrypted, access-logged and retained for the period the law requires.
What the notarization audit trail records
| Event | What is recorded |
|---|---|
| Document uploaded | Time, sender, file name, page count and SHA-256 fingerprint |
| Signer invited | Time, delivery channel and the invited signer |
| Identity checks | Result of credential analysis, knowledge-based authentication and liveness for each signer, with the number of attempts |
| Participants joined | Time, IP address and device data for each signer, witness and the notary |
| Consent and oath | The notary's confirmation of willingness and, for a jurat, the oath or affirmation |
| Signatures | Time of each signature and initial |
| Seal applied | Time, notary, commissioning state, act type and SHA-256 fingerprint of the sealed document |
| Record accessed | Every view and download of the completed record |
Keep the same evidence record for every notarization
Start with your next document.
Exports your auditors can use
- PDF export on every plan:
- a readable summary of the session for files and auditors.
- JSON export on Business and above:
- the full event log for your document or compliance system.
- API access on Scale and Enterprise:
- fetch the audit trail when a session completes. See the notary API.
Tamper-evident documents
Every document is fingerprinted with SHA-256 on upload and again after sealing. The notary's digital certificate signs the sealed PDF, so any later change breaks the signature and shows in any standard PDF reader. Read more about digital notary services.
Encryption and access
- Encryption in transit with TLS and at rest for documents, recordings and identity data.
- Role-based access: admins, senders and viewers see only what their role allows.
- Access logs for every view and download of a record.
- Google SSO on Scale, SAML SSO and SCIM provisioning on Enterprise.
- Signer links are unique, expire, and work only for the invited signer.
Retention
Records and session recordings are kept for the retention period required by the notary's commissioning state. Enterprise plans can set a longer custom retention. When a retention period ends, records are deleted unless your company has asked us to keep them longer for a legal hold.
Identity data
Identity checks use ID images, a selfie and answers to knowledge-based questions. This data is used to verify the signer for the notarization and kept as part of the record only where the law requires it. It is never used for marketing. Details are in the privacy policy.
Related pages
Get your team notarizing online
Notarizations are included in every plan. Invite your first signer today.