Electronic notarization is any notarial act performed on digital documents with electronic signatures and an electronic seal, instead of ink on paper. The notary still does the same job: confirm who you are, confirm you are signing willingly, and attach their official seal. Two formats exist. In-person electronic notarization (IPEN) happens with you and the notary in the same room, working from a tablet or laptop. Remote online notarization (RON) happens over a live, recorded audio-video session with the notary in a different location. As of 2026, 49 states plus Washington, D.C. authorize some form of remote notarization, so both options are widely available for real estate closings, loan documents, affidavits, and most other everyday notarizations.
Is an Electronic Notarization Legally Valid
Yes, and the authority runs on two tracks. At the federal level, the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, enacted in 2000, says a signature, contract, or record cannot be denied legal effect simply because it is electronic.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S.C. Chapter 96 – Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce An electronic signature on a notarized document is as enforceable in court as a wet-ink one.
At the state level, the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) sets the same equivalence rule for electronic records and signatures. Forty-nine states plus the District of Columbia have adopted UETA. New York has not, but it has its own electronic signature laws that reach a similar result.2Uniform Law Commission. Electronic Transactions Act
Each state writes its own notary rules on top of these foundations, deciding which technologies notaries can use, how identity must be verified, and how records must be kept. The National Association of Secretaries of State has endorsed technology-neutral standards that many states follow when drafting those rules.3National Association of Secretaries of State. NASS Support for the Revised National Electronic Notarization Standards and Remote Online Notarization Standards
In-Person Electronic Notarization vs. Remote Online Notarization
The two formats look different from the signer’s seat.
With IPEN, you meet the notary in person. The notary hands you a tablet or laptop loaded with the document, you review it on the screen, and you sign using a stylus, trackpad, or keyboard. Identity verification works the same way it always has for paper notarizations: the notary looks at your driver’s license or passport, confirms the photo matches you, and checks that the ID is current. Some states also allow personal knowledge of the signer or credible witnesses as alternative identification. When you are done, the notary attaches a digital signature and electronic seal, and the output is a sealed digital file instead of a stamped piece of paper.
RON removes the in-person meeting. You and the notary connect through a secure audio-video platform that records the entire session. You log in, present ID to the camera, and clear the platform’s identity checks before signing begins. Both of you view the document on screen at the same time, and you apply your electronic signature while the notary watches live. The notary then attaches an electronic seal and digital certificate that lock the document and make any later changes visible. You usually receive the finished file through a secure link or email right after the session.
Because the notary can’t physically hold your ID in a RON session, the identity checks are more involved.
How Your Identity Is Verified Remotely
States generally require at least two layers of authentication for RON. Three methods do most of the work.
Knowledge-Based Authentication
Knowledge-based authentication (KBA) asks you to answer computer-generated questions pulled from credit history, public records, and financial databases. You don’t set these up in advance; they are generated on the fly from information only the real you would know. A typical session gives you five questions with five answer choices each, and you must answer at least four correctly within two minutes. If you fail, most states let you retry up to twice within 48 hours, with at least some questions swapped out each attempt.
Credential Analysis
Credential analysis uses software to inspect your government-issued ID. You hold it up to the camera or upload images of the front and back, and the platform compares the layout, holograms, barcodes, and other security features against known templates for that document type. The notary also compares your face on camera against the ID photo.4National Association of Secretaries of State. Remote Electronic Notarization
Biometric Verification
Some states and platforms add a biometric layer, most commonly facial recognition that algorithmically matches your live appearance to your ID photo. Federal standards from the National Institute of Standards and Technology guide how these checks work. Biometric verification isn’t universally required, but it is becoming more common, especially for high-value transactions.
What It Costs
Notary fees are set by state law. For IPEN, statutory caps usually mirror those for paper acknowledgments and jurats and run roughly $2 to $25 per notarial act. A handful of states don’t cap fees at all.
RON fees are often higher to account for the technology and verification involved. Where states cap them separately, the limit commonly reaches $25 per notarial act. On top of the notary’s fee, you often pay a platform or technology fee charged by the RON provider. Platform fees commonly run about $25 per session for a standard single-signer notarization, with extra charges for additional signers, extra seals, or on-demand witnesses. Real estate closings conducted over RON platforms cost more because they involve many documents and participants, often $45 to $99 per meeting.
Documents You Cannot Notarize Electronically
ESIGN carves out several categories where electronic signature protections don’t apply, and some of them are common enough that signers run into them. Under the federal law, electronic signatures are excluded for:
- Wills, codicils, and testamentary trusts
- Family law matters, including adoption and divorce
- Court documents such as orders, notices, briefs, and pleadings
- Certain consumer notices, including utility cancellations, foreclosure or default notices on a primary residence, cancellation of health or life insurance, and product recall notices involving safety risks
- Documents required to accompany the transport or handling of hazardous materials, pesticides, or other dangerous substances
Wills are the exception worth watching. ESIGN doesn’t require states to accept electronic wills, but more than a dozen have passed their own electronic wills statutes. Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Utah, and several others now allow wills to be created, signed, and notarized electronically under state-specific rules. Other states that allow RON for other documents still carve wills out. If you need a will notarized electronically, check your state’s law directly rather than assuming ESIGN covers it.
Will Another State Accept Your Electronically Notarized Document
Traditional notary law says the validity of a notarial act is determined by the law of the state where it was performed, and most states recognize notarial acts lawfully performed elsewhere. For RON, the general consensus is that the act is performed in the state where the notary is commissioned, so interstate recognition should work the same way. In practice, most states accept RON documents from other jurisdictions without issue. A few impose extra conditions, such as requiring the originating state’s RON rules to be substantially similar to their own, or requiring physical presence for certain acts.
The SECURE Notarization Act has been introduced in Congress several times to create uniform national rules for interstate recognition of remote notarizations. As of 2026, the most recent version, introduced in the 119th Congress, has not been signed into law.6United States Congress. S.1561 – 119th Congress (2025-2026): SECURE Notarization Act of 2025 If it passes, every state would be required to recognize remote notarizations performed under another state’s laws.
Becoming an Electronic Notary
If you are researching electronic notarization from the notary side, the authority doesn’t come automatically with a traditional commission. You hold a valid state notary commission first, then take added steps to perform electronic or remote notarizations. Specifics vary by state, but the pattern is consistent:
- Complete any required training course covering electronic notarization technology, security procedures, and legal requirements. Some states also require a proctored exam.
- Notify your commissioning authority, usually the Secretary of State, before performing your first electronic notarial act.
- Identify your technology provider. In states that maintain approved provider lists, you can only use vetted platforms.
- Obtain a digital certificate from a certification authority and an electronic seal that meets your state’s specifications.
Fees vary. Some states charge a modest registration fee; others bundle training, examination, and filing costs that can approach $100 before you buy any technology. Plan for both the state fees and the ongoing platform or per-transaction costs.
Every electronic notarization also creates a record. Notaries log each act in an electronic journal that captures the date, document type, and signer names. For RON, states additionally require retention of the audio-video recording of the session, with periods that run five, seven, or ten years depending on the state. If a transaction is ever challenged, those records are what prove the notary followed the rules.