The different types of notary public break down into six working categories: the general notary commissioned by a state, the mobile notary who travels to you, the electronic notary who uses digital tools in person, the remote online notary who meets over video, the loan signing agent who specializes in mortgage closings, and the civil law notary found in Louisiana and Puerto Rico. The first five share the same underlying commission and differ mainly in how and where they work. The sixth is a different legal role entirely. Which one you need depends on where you are, how you want to meet, and what kind of document is on the table.
General Notary Public
The general notary public is the baseline. Every other type on this list either builds on it or departs from it. A general notary is commissioned by a state government and performs the core notarial acts: taking acknowledgments, administering oaths and affirmations, witnessing signatures, and certifying copies of documents.1American Society of Notaries. Your Basic Duties As A Notary Public Not every state authorizes all four acts, so the exact scope depends on the commissioning state.
Before notarizing anything, the notary confirms the signer’s identity. In practice that means examining an unexpired government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport. Some states also allow personal knowledge of the signer as an alternative, though ID documents are far more common.1American Society of Notaries. Your Basic Duties As A Notary Public The notary also checks that the signer appears willing and aware of what they are signing, and is supposed to refuse if something seems off.
Impartiality is the whole point of the role. A notary cannot have a direct financial or beneficial interest in the transaction. In most states, that means a notary cannot notarize a document naming them as a party, and notarizing for close family members is either prohibited or strongly discouraged. The notary is not there to advise anyone or advocate for either side. They are a neutral checkpoint.
Fees per notarial act are capped by state law and are modest. In most states the ceiling falls between $2 and $15 per signature or per act, though a few states allow up to $25. Documents that commonly need notarization include real estate deeds, powers of attorney, affidavits, and contracts.1American Society of Notaries. Your Basic Duties As A Notary Public You will find general notaries at banks, shipping stores, law offices, courthouses, and public libraries.
Mobile Notary
A mobile notary holds the same general commission as any other notary public. The difference is the business model. Instead of working from a fixed office, a mobile notary travels to the signer’s location, whether that is a home, hospital room, office, or coffee shop. No special license or additional commission is required.
The convenience comes at a cost. Notarization fees themselves are still capped by state law, but travel fees are a separate charge and are typically unregulated. A mobile notary sets their own rates for mileage, travel time, and scheduling priority. Same-day or after-hours appointments cost more, and travel charges of $50 to $150 or higher on top of the per-signature fee are common. Ask for the total upfront, because the travel surcharge will dwarf the notarization fee itself.
Mobile notaries are especially useful for signers who are homebound, hospitalized, or incarcerated, and for businesses that need a notary to visit a job site or handle a time-sensitive closing. The notarial acts performed are identical to what you would get walking into a UPS Store or a bank. You are paying for the house call, not a different service.
Electronic Notary
An electronic notary, sometimes called an eNotary, performs notarizations in person but uses electronic tools instead of ink and paper. The signer appears face to face with the notary, just like a traditional notarization, but the document is signed digitally and the notary applies a tamper-evident electronic seal rather than a physical stamp. The result carries the same legal weight as a notarized paper document.
The distinction matters because people often confuse electronic notarization with remote online notarization. The key difference is physical presence. With an eNotary, everyone is in the same room. With a remote online notary, the signer and notary connect over video from different locations. Every remote online notary is also an electronic notary, but not every electronic notary works remotely. States that authorize electronic notarization may require the notary to register with an approved technology provider or meet additional requirements beyond the base commission.
Remote Online Notary
Remote online notarization, usually called RON, lets a signer and notary complete a notarial act over a live audio-video connection without being in the same physical location. The signer joins from a computer or phone, shows their ID on camera, answers identity-verification questions, and signs the document electronically while the notary watches and applies a digital seal. As of early 2025, at least 45 states and the District of Columbia had enacted permanent RON laws.
RON is not just a webcam pointed at a traditional notarization. It carries its own set of requirements that go beyond a standard commission. Most states require a separate RON authorization or registration, and the notary must use an approved technology platform that meets specific security standards.
Identity Verification
Identity verification in a RON session is more rigorous than a traditional in-person notarization. The process typically has two layers. First is credential analysis: the signer holds their physical ID up to the camera, and the platform’s software examines it for authenticity. Digital IDs stored in phone wallets are not accepted. Second is knowledge-based authentication: the signer answers questions drawn from personal data, such as previous addresses or account history, that only the real person should be able to answer. Some states or document recipients also require secondary identification, which can include a Social Security card, birth certificate, recent utility bill, or voter registration card.
Recording and Retention
Every RON session must be recorded. The platform captures the full audio-video feed and stores it in an electronic journal alongside the details of each notarial act. Retention requirements vary by state, with most falling in the range of five to ten years. If a notarized document is later challenged, there is a verifiable record of exactly what happened during the session.
Interstate Recognition
One lingering complication with RON is interstate recognition. A document notarized remotely by a notary commissioned in one state may not automatically be accepted in a state with different RON rules. The federal SECURE Notarization Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in 2023, would require all states and federal courts to recognize remote notarizations performed under another state’s laws.2Congress.gov. H.R.1059 – SECURE Notarization Act The bill had not been enacted as of early 2025. Until then, confirm with the receiving party that a remote notarization from your state will be accepted.
Loan Signing Agent
A loan signing agent is a general notary public who specializes in mortgage and real estate loan closings. The commission is the same, but the work is distinct enough that it functions as its own category. Signing agents guide borrowers through thick stacks of loan documents, making sure every page is signed, initialed, and dated in the right places. An error on a closing package can delay or derail a transaction, so the role demands precision and familiarity with the paperwork.
Typical documents in a loan signing include the deed of trust or mortgage, the promissory note, the closing disclosure, occupancy and signature affidavits, and various compliance agreements. The signing agent does not explain the legal terms of the loan or offer financial advice. Crossing that line would constitute practicing law without a license. The agent’s job is to ensure correct execution of the documents, not to counsel the borrower on whether the deal is good.
No state requires a separate loan signing agent license, but lenders and title companies almost universally require training and certification before they will hire one. The most recognized credential comes from the National Notary Association, which requires completing a training course, passing a certification exam, and clearing a background screening. Errors-and-omissions insurance is not legally required in most states but is effectively mandatory as a business matter, because most hiring companies will not work with an uninsured agent. Signing agents are typically paid per appointment rather than per signature, with fees for a standard refinance or purchase signing commonly between $75 and $200.
Civil Law Notary
Everything described above operates within the common law tradition used by most of the United States. The civil law notary is a fundamentally different role. Found primarily in Louisiana and Puerto Rico, which follow civil law traditions inherited from French and Spanish law, this type of notary wields far more authority than a general notary public and occupies a role closer to that of an attorney.
In Louisiana, a notary public can draft legal instruments such as conveyances, wills, and matrimonial contracts, and can perform functions like holding family meetings and conducting inventories and appraisements. Documents executed before a Louisiana notary in compliance with the Civil Code are considered “authentic acts,” meaning they carry a presumption of validity that ordinary documents do not. A party challenging an authentic act bears the burden of proving it defective, rather than the other party having to prove it valid.
In Puerto Rico, the bar is even higher. Notaries there must be licensed attorneys admitted to practice on the island. They draft and execute public documents with the same quasi-judicial authority found in civil law notary systems throughout Latin America and continental Europe.
Louisiana notaries must pass a written examination administered by the Secretary of State, meet residency requirements, and are commissioned for the parish where they reside and potentially one additional parish where they maintain an office. Unlike common law notaries with four-year or ten-year terms, Louisiana notary commissions are issued for life. If you are handling legal matters in Louisiana or Puerto Rico, the notary you work with is likely performing a much more active legal function than what you would experience in other states. The notary may have drafted the document you are signing.
Picking the Right Type for Your Document
For most everyday needs, a general notary at a bank, shipping store, or library will handle the job for a few dollars per signature. If the signer cannot travel, a mobile notary is worth the travel fee. If you want to sign from home without anyone coming over, look for a remote online notary and confirm the receiving party will accept a RON-executed document. For a mortgage closing, use a certified loan signing agent, usually arranged through the title company. And if you are in Louisiana or Puerto Rico working on a will, conveyance, or similar instrument, you are likely dealing with a civil law notary whose role includes drafting the document, not merely witnessing it.