The remote online notarization setup process begins with confirming that your state has a statute authorizing remote online notarization and that your individual commission carries a separate remote authorization on top of your standard notarial commission. Once those two facts are confirmed, the workflow is sequential and fixed by statute: the client assembles a complete file before the session starts, and the notary's job during the live appointment is to review that file, verify the person on camera, and perform the act.
Confirm your own authorization before you accept a remote signing
A standard notary commission does not automatically include remote authority. In every state that permits remote online notarization, the notary must register separately, often submitting sample electronic seals and digital certificate details to the commissioning office, before conducting a single remote act.
What to check first
Confirm two things with your state's Secretary of State or notarial chamber: that your state has a permanent RON statute, and that your specific commission record shows an active remote authorization, not just a standard commission on file.
The statutory basis differs by state but the pattern is the same. Texas requires registration under Subchapter C of Chapter 406 of the Government Code, Pennsylvania under 57 Pa.C.S. § 306.1, Colorado under C.R.S. § 24-21-514.5, and Florida under Chapter 117, Part II. Over 45 states now have permanent RON statutes in place, but the specifics of the registration filing, the required equipment disclosures, and the renewal cycle vary, so treat your own state's requirements as the only ones that matter for your practice. A notary commissioned in a non-authorizing state cannot perform remote acts at all, regardless of where the client is located.
Set client pre-appointment requirements so the file arrives complete
The client, not the notary, does the preparatory work before the appointment: uploading the document, completing an intake form, and passing identity checks that happen before the notary ever joins the call. This is the structural shift that makes remote work manageable at volume. Instead of the notary chasing a signer for a document, a photo ID, and a scheduling slot across three separate emails, the notary opens a session to a file that is already built.
- Document uploadThe signer submits the instrument to be notarized ahead of the appointment so the notary can review it before the call begins.
- Credential captureThe signer photographs or scans a government-issued ID for automated credential analysis, a step that happens before the live session.
- Knowledge-based authenticationThe signer answers dynamic identity questions, a pre-check that must be passed before the notary is permitted to proceed to the live appearance.
- Appointment schedulingThe signer books a time slot, giving the notary a fixed session rather than an open-ended email thread.
Under frameworks such as 1 Tex. Admin. Code § 87.70 and Fla. Stat. § 117.245, these steps have to be completed before the audiovisual session opens. A practice that treats client onboarding as a gate rather than an afterthought is the one that gets a complete file every time, rather than discovering a missing signature page mid-call.
Review identity evidence and keep the record the statute requires
The notary's job at this stage is comparison, not collection. By the time the live session begins, the credential analysis and the knowledge-based authentication results already exist. The notary compares the person on screen against the ID that was analyzed and confirms the two match. What the notary must retain afterward is a record that the check happened and what it found: the type of credential presented, the outcome of the identity check, and a notation or reference to the audiovisual recording of the session itself.
None of this requires the notary to name or endorse a particular identity-checking method in the journal. The statute cares about what evidence was reviewed and that a record of it exists, not the brand of the tool that produced it. That record becomes part of the notarial act's permanent file and has to survive for as long as the journal itself is required to be kept.
Create the electronic journal entry and retain it for the mandated period
Every remote notarial act generates a journal entry with a fixed set of data points, and that entry has to be kept for years, not months. Model language drawn from the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts and mirrored in state statutes requires the date and time of the act, the type of act performed, a description of the record, the full name and address of each signer, the evidence of identity presented, a notation linking to the audiovisual recording, and the fee charged, if any.
Retention periods are set by statute and differ by state. Texas requires electronic journal entries and audiovisual recordings to be kept for at least 5 years from the date of the act, under Texas Government Code § 406.108. Florida requires a longer window: as the statute states, "the electronic journal required under subsection (1) and the recordings of audio-video communications required under subsection (2) shall be maintained for at least 10 years after the date of the notarial act," according to the Florida Department of State. Colorado and Pennsylvania set the same 10-year floor.
| State | Minimum retention |
|---|---|
| Texas | 5 years |
| Florida | 10 years |
| Colorado | 10 years |
| Pennsylvania | 10 years |
Because these periods differ, a notary working across state lines or planning to relocate a practice needs to check the retention rule in force where the act was performed, not where the notary happens to sit years later. A tamper-evident, timestamped format for the journal itself matters here too. The way e-journal record-keeping is typically structured can help meet these retention windows without the notary having to manage separate paper and digital systems.
Handle an identity verification failure without breaking compliance
If a signer fails knowledge-based authentication, the notary must stop the session rather than push forward on a hunch. Under 1 Tex. Admin. Code § 87.70 and comparable rules built on NASS and RULONA standards, a signer must answer at least 80% of a minimum of five multiple-choice identity questions within 2 minutes to pass. A first failure allows one retake within 24 hours, with most of the questions replaced. A second failure ends the matter for that day.
As the Texas Secretary of State puts it: "If the principal fails their first attempt, they may retake the quiz once within 24 hours. If the principal fails a second attempt they are prohibited from retrying with the same notary for at least 24 hours." The notary's obligation at that point is to halt the session, decline to notarize, and log the refusal in the journal, noting the reason. There is no discretion to override a failed identity check on the strength of a phone call or a familiar voice. The lockout is procedural, not a judgment call the notary gets to make in the moment.
Execute the notarial act: witness, sign, and seal
Once identity is confirmed, everything that happens next belongs to the notary alone. The client cannot pre-complete the signature, the oath, or the seal. Those steps only happen live, with the notary present on the call. The notary administers any required oath or affirmation, watches the signer execute the document in real time, applies the official electronic seal and digital certificate, and generates the tamper-evident record that binds the signature, the seal, and the session together.
This is the part of the process that carries the notary's personal liability, and it is deliberately narrow. The client's document upload, ID capture, and knowledge-based authentication are preparatory. The notary's act of witnessing and sealing is the notarization itself. The tamper-evident sealing mechanism used to bind the electronic record is what makes the finished document verifiable later. Understanding how that time-stamping and sealing process works is worth doing before your first live session rather than during it.
Remote online notarization stops at your state's border
Remote online notarization in the US only exists where the individual state's legislature has authorized it and where the notary has confirmed their own registration is active. There is no federal RON statute that overrides that requirement. A commission from an authorizing state does not carry remote authority into a state that has not adopted the same framework, and a notary should never assume authority transfers simply because a client happens to be physically present somewhere else.
Outside the US, the rules diverge sharply. In the European Union, the notarial act itself generally stays anchored in the notary's office. Directive (EU) 2019/1151 permits remote intake for company incorporation and branch registration, but substantive acts such as property conveyance or succession still require the notary's physical presence when identity, capacity, or intent is in question. In England and Wales, notaries operate under Faculty Office rules that treat the notarial act as occurring wherever the notary is physically standing, not wherever the client happens to be. Remote appearance is only permitted after a documented risk assessment under the Faculty Office's updated Code of Practice. In Hong Kong and the UAE, remote work is generally limited to front-office intake steps rather than the notarial act itself, and notaries working across those jurisdictions should confirm current local practice directions before assuming any remote step is permitted.
None of this is a matter of convenience. A notary who performs a remote act outside their state's statutory authority, or who assumes a US remote framework applies abroad, has performed an act with no legal standing, regardless of how carefully the session itself was run.
What to confirm before your first session
Before accepting your first remote signing
- Your state has a permanent RON statute and your individual commission shows active remote authorization on file with the Secretary of State or notarial chamber.
- Your client intake process collects the document, ID, and identity pre-check results before you open the session.
- Your journal entry format captures every data point your state's statute requires, and your retention system can hold it for the full statutory period.
- You know exactly what happens, procedurally, the moment a knowledge-based authentication check fails twice.
For notaries mapping out the full technical build that sits around this sequence, the remote online notarization setup guide walks through how a practice assembles the intake, journal, and sealing pieces this workflow depends on.
Frequently asked questions
Does a standard notary commission cover remote online notarization?
No. A standard commission does not automatically include remote authority. In every state that permits remote online notarization, the notary must register separately and often submit sample electronic seals and digital certificate details to the commissioning office before conducting a single remote act.
What must the client complete before the remote session begins?
The client must upload the document to be notarized, complete an intake form, photograph or scan a government-issued ID for automated credential analysis, pass knowledge-based authentication, and book an appointment. These steps must be completed before the audiovisual session opens.
How long must a notary keep the electronic journal and audiovisual recording?
Retention periods are set by statute and differ by state. Texas requires at least 5 years of retention under Texas Government Code § 406.108. Florida, Colorado, and Pennsylvania set a 10-year floor. A notary must check the retention rule in force where the act was performed.
What happens if a signer fails knowledge-based authentication twice?
The notary must stop the session, decline to notarize, and log the refusal in the journal. Under 1 Tex. Admin. Code § 87.70 and comparable rules, a signer who fails a second attempt is prohibited from retrying with the same notary for at least 24 hours. The lockout is procedural and the notary has no discretion to override it.
Can the client pre-sign or pre-seal the document before the live call?
No. The client cannot pre-complete the signature, the oath, or the seal. Those steps only happen live, with the notary present on the call. The notary administers any required oath, watches the signer execute the document in real time, and applies the electronic seal and digital certificate.
