eNotary Services: Legal, Fast & Secure Online Notarization
Online notarization can save a trip and simplify important paperwork. Here’s how eNotary services work, what to prepare, and what to check before you sign.
What Is eNotary & How It Works
The term eNotary often describes notarization involving electronic documents, signatures, and seals. That does not always mean the signer and notary are in different places. Remote online notarization (RON) is the process that lets a signer appear before an authorized notary through a live audio-video connection instead of meeting in person.
The distinction matters. In-person electronic notarization still requires physical attendance. Remote notarization uses communication technology and the identity-verification procedures required by the applicable law. The Texas Secretary of State’s notary FAQs explain the difference between these two methods.
With GoNotarize, you enter the details for everyone signing, upload your PDF documents, and review a quote before authorizing payment. Your request is then prepared for an online notary. Identity checks, electronic signing, and the notarial ceremony take place in the provider’s session. You do not need to create a customer account.
Allow time for preparation, identity verification, notary availability, and the document’s requirements. A short document may be straightforward, but neither the session length nor the waiting time is guaranteed. After completion, GoNotarize makes the completed documents available through your authorized session access once they have been retrieved and processed.
Is Online Notarization Legal & Valid?
Remote notarization is authorized in many U.S. jurisdictions, subject to their laws and procedures. The notary must have the appropriate authority, and the document and session must meet the applicable requirements. A national state count does not establish whether a particular document or signer is eligible.
Electronic execution and remote appearance are separate legal questions. The federal E-SIGN Act, 15 USC §7001 generally protects covered records and signatures from losing legal effect solely because they are electronic. It also preserves other legal requirements and does not generally require a person to agree to use or accept electronic records. Check the receiving organization’s document and format requirements before booking a session.
State implementation differs. For example, the California Secretary of State’s current guidance says California notaries cannot yet perform remote online notarizations under the new framework. This is a rule about California notaries’ authority; it is not a nationwide rule about every electronic document or out-of-state notarization.
Signing from another state or country may be possible, but it is not an unrestricted promise. Eligibility depends on the notary’s authority, location rules, identity verification, the document, and its intended use. Florida’s online notarization procedures illustrate how these requirements can include the notary’s physical location, the signer’s consent to the governing law, and successful identity proofing. If you are abroad, confirm your situation with the service and recipient before starting.
eNotary Pricing & What to Expect
GoNotarize’s starting price is $25.00 for the included first signer, stamp, and signature. That consists of a $5.00 notarial act fee, a $15.00 electronic technology fee, and a $5.00 administrative fee.
Additional signers cost $15.00 each. Additional stamps cost $5.00 each, and additional signatures cost $5.00 each. Witnesses used during the ceremony cost $10.00 each. Your document’s required participants and notarial acts determine the final quote.
The card authorization at checkout is a hold, not a payment receipt. GoNotarize captures payment after completion is independently confirmed. Requested witnesses are included as a reserve; the amount captured reflects confirmed witness usage and may be lower than the authorization.
Review the quote before authorizing your card. See GoNotarize’s pricing for the current fee overview, then use the intake quote for the exact amount applicable to your request.
Identity Verification & Security
Have a government-issued photo ID ready and provide accurate signer information. GoNotarize’s online ceremony uses ProNotary for identity checks, knowledge-based authentication where required, video, signatures, and seals. Verification takes place within that session rather than through a customer account created on GoNotarize.
The available verification method and eligibility depend on the applicable rules and provider’s checks. Do not assume that any particular ID will be accepted, that limited identity history can be bypassed, or that a biometric fallback will be available. If verification cannot be completed, the notary may be unable to proceed.
GoNotarize stores customer documents privately and restricts document and completed-artifact access to authorized requests. Protect your session access and avoid sharing it with anyone who should not see your documents. Private access controls do not substitute for confirming a provider’s security practices when your organization has specific requirements.
Ask a service about its privacy practices, access controls, and applicable recording-retention requirements. Look for specific, verifiable information instead of assuming that every online notarization service holds the same certification or uses the same encryption technology.
Document Types & State Coverage
Documents that may require notarization include affidavits, powers of attorney, business agreements, and real estate paperwork. A document’s name alone does not establish remote eligibility: the required notarial act, witnesses, execution rules, and receiving party’s requirements all matter.
Before uploading a document, check its instructions and ask the recipient whether it accepts the proposed electronic or remote process. For estate-planning, property, court, or other consequential documents, confirm execution requirements with the document’s preparer or appropriate professional. Notarization does not replace legal advice about the document’s content or validity.
An apostille or authentication for use abroad is a separate process from notarization. The HCCH Apostille guidance explains the role of designated competent authorities and electronic apostilles. Whether your particular document can be authenticated, and in what form, depends on the issuing authority’s procedures and the destination’s requirements. Confirm those before choosing a notarization method; do not assume every electronic document is either eligible or ineligible.
When to Choose Remote Notarization Over In-Person
Remote notarization can be convenient when travel, work schedules, or mobility make an office visit difficult. It can remove the trip while allowing you to work with a notary through a live session. A suitable device, working camera and microphone, and reliable internet connection are important.
Choose an in-person process when the applicable rules or recipient require it, when identity verification cannot be completed remotely, or when the technology is unsuitable. If an apostille is needed, first confirm the authentication authority’s requirements rather than assuming one notarization method will work.
For an urgent deadline, check availability and leave room for verification, document corrections, witnesses, and processing. Compare the full quoted cost with your alternatives, including travel and preparation. Convenience is valuable, but it should not come at the expense of satisfying the document’s requirements.
How to Choose the Right eNotary Service
Start with the document: confirm the receiving party’s requirements, the required notarial act, and any witnesses or additional signers. Then check whether the service can accommodate those requirements and your identity-verification circumstances.
Review pricing before payment authorization. Check how you will join the session, how completed documents are provided, and what happens if preparation or verification prevents the session from proceeding. Ask about availability instead of relying on a promise of immediate service.
Ready to prepare your request? Get started with GoNotarize. Enter signer details, upload your PDFs, and review your quote without creating a customer account. Confirm any unusual document, overseas-signing, or authentication requirements before authorizing payment.