Notarize Your Documents with Online Notary in Florida

An online notary or Remote Online Notary or Virtual Notary is a commissioned notary public in Florida who has registered with the DOS, i.e., the Department of State, to perform online notarization in the state via audio-video conferencing. The role of an online notary is the same as that of a traditional notary, i.e.

Verify the identity of the Signer

Ensure the Signer knows the purpose of the document

Make sure the Signer is signing the document willingly

However, the difference lies in the fact that the notary connects with the Signer via audio-video call and uses electronic ways to notarize the document. Inked signature replaces electronic signature, seals replace eSeal, and lastly, online notaries bind documents with a secure public key to notarize the Signer’s document.

Yes, after the legalization back in 2019, notaries were allowed to practice remote online notaries from January 1, 2021, in Florida. Once registering with the Department of State for approval to carry out online notarizations in Florida, notaries can notarize documents via audio-video calls. Still, irrespective of the signer location, the notaries need to be present in Florida while carrying out the notarization. Along With this, Florida notaries are obliged to maintain an electronic journal of each online notarization.

No, appearing in front of an online notary public is not required in Florida. The Signer can achieve a “personal appearance” before the notary public via audio-video call instead of physically visiting the notary public.

After the legalization of RON in Florida, neither notaries nor the signers visit each other’s locations to carry out the notarization of the documents. However, the Signer needs to provide proper and authentic identity proof to the notary public to verify their identity and carry notarization lawfully.

A Notary can attest to the Signer’s identity either with the help of a Credible witness or via “Reasonable reliance.”
For Reasonable reliance, the Signer can present any of the following identification documents:

A Florida identification card

A Passport issued by the Department of states or other government(acceptable only if stamped by the Immigration Services and the United States Bureau of Citizenship)

Driver’s license or other ID allows the Signer to drive in the country.

Veteran health identification card

Identification card issued by the Immigration Services and the United States Bureau of Citizenship

In case the Signer is an inmate, they can also show:

Inmate identification card(issued on or after 1991 by the Florida Department of Corrections)

Inmate identification card(issued by the Bureau of Prisons, United States Department of Justice)

Sworn or written statement by the identification document providing sworn law enforcement officers.

Not at all. The signer doesn’t need to be in Florida to notarize their document. As long as;

You are a resident of Florida

You will submit authentic ID proof to prove your identity

Your online notary is commissioned in Florida

Your notary is located in Florida at the time of notarization

Your physical presence won’t matter while connecting with the online notary during notarization.

With Lottalegal, the process to notarize your documents is easier than ever. We have a team of state-commissioned notary publics that will notarize your documents without your need to leave your place. We have a simple 3 step notarization process that goes as;

Upload your documents:

Firstly you need to visit our site and fill in a simple form mentioning your necessary information. Don’t forget to mention the type of document you want to notarize. Once you complete the form, upload a soft copy of the document that requires notarization and submit your application.

Connect with state-commissioned notaries:

After you fill in your form and upload your documents, our state-commissioned notary will connect with you over a video call to carry out the notarization process.

The notary public will carry credential analysis and identity proofing via KBA techniques to verify your authenticity. Once assured, the notary public will notarize your documents. This part of the process hardly takes 20 minutes to complete.

Download notarized documents:

With the completion of notarization, the notary public will share your documents via your provided email address. You can download your notarized documents anytime and save them for future use.

The whole process is safe and secure. In case of any doubt, feel free to contact our customer care team, who are happy to help you 24*7.

Not at all. The signer doesn’t need to be physically located in Florida to notarize their document. As long as;

You are a resident of Florida

You will submit authentic ID proof to prove your identity

Your online notary is commissioned in Florida

Your notary is located in Florida at the time of notarization

Your physical presence as a signer of the document won’t matter while connecting with the online notary during the audio-video call.

If the notary attaches a “notarial certificate” that includes the absolute information, only then do laws count it as an “authentic notarized document.”

The notarial certificate must contain:

Location of a notary public during the notarization

Type of notarization, an acknowledgment or oath

Signer appear physically or virtually to get documents notarized

Date of Notarization

Name of signers

The signer’s identity is verified by Personal knowledge or by satisfactory evidence

Notary Public’s name, signature, and sea(Seal below or any side of notary’s signature)

Jurats are also required to include the information mentioned above.

With Remote Online Notarization, the whole process of notarizing a document, including document signing, is carried out electronically. Once you approach a RON service provider and upload your documents on their portal, a notary will connect with you to carry notarization through audio-video conferencing.

During notarization, the notary will confirm your identity, make sure you are aware of the document’s intent, and sign the document willingly. After that notary will ask you to sign the document via electronic signature and attach its notarial certificate, including the notary’s name, eSignature, etc.

You can download this notarized document anytime from your email box.

As clearly mentioned in CS/CS/HB 409, the Notary must maintain a record of each Notarization in the form of Electronic Journal/Electronic Records. It must contain the following information;

Time and Date of Notarial Act

Type of Notarization

Electronic record’s Title, type, or description

Mention that the signer passed identity proofing-by personal knowledge or identification document(if so, type)

Mention that the signer passed credential analysis

Fee charged for Notarization

Along with the Notary has to attach a recording of Notarization containing;

Presence of Signer and credible witnesses

Identity verification of signers and witnesses

Signer’s words that they are willingly signing the document

Statement regarding the document

Full recording of all the words, actions of the Notary, signer, and witnesses participating in the Notarization.

The Notary should maintain this electronic journal properly until ten years from the date of the notarial act.

Although notary charges may vary from state to state, a Florida notary can charge $25 to sign your documents. $25 is the cost for a single signing. The cost will add up accordingly to the number of signings.

We at Lottalegal have curated special packages for customers that are way less than any other online notary in Florida. Along with relishing the benefits of Remote online notarization, you can get your documents signed at a lot cheaper rate with Lottalegal.

For more information, check out Lottalegal’s pricing page and choose the package that suits your needs.

An online notary verifies the identity of the witness either by;

• Personal knowledge
• Credible witness
• Government-issued Identification proofs.

Most signers opt for the third criteria as the chances that signer and online notary know each other are bare to a minimum. Along with this, ID verification is simple and convenient.

As per CS/CS/HB 409, the notary can confirm the identity of the signer via government-issued IDs by:

• “Remote presentation of a government-issued identification credential by each individual
• Credential analysis of each government-issued identification credential and
• Identity proofing of each individual, in the form of knowledge-based authentication or another method of identity proofing that conforms to statutory standards”.

Here the individual represents the signer.

The notary public carries out the notarization via Audio-video communication technology to connect with the signer must ensure that the transmission:

Is safe from third parties(other than Notary, signers, Credible witnesses), which are not necessary participants in the online notarial act.

Offer clearly hearable audio and perfect quality video for accessible communication to verify the signer’s identity.

The Notary public will conduct credential analysis and identity proofing via KBN techniques to verify the signer’s authenticity.

After verifying your identity, the Notary makes sure you are signing documents willingly and well aware of the purpose of the notarizing document. Once assured, the Notary will notarize your document by attaching a notarial certificate and eSeal. Lastly, the Notary will make your entry in their electronic journal and send you your documents via email.

You can download the soft copy of your notarized document anytime and save it for future use. You can also print these documents and use them accordingly if you want.

An Online notary in Florida practices Identity proofing and Credentials analysis techniques to verify the signer’s authenticity using Audio-video communication technology.

Online Notarization Laws in Florida have clearly described these terms so that Online notaries can easily verify the signer’s identity.

Identity proofing:

Under Identity proofing, the signer would be asked to answer at least five questions, given each one with five choices to choose from. The questions;

Must be operated by a third-party provider of public and proprietary data sources

Relatable and recognizable for the signer

Must be asked with at least a 2-minute difference

The signer needs to answer at least 80% of the total questions in order to prove their identity authentic.

Credential analysis:

Under credential analysis, the Notary makes sure that the signer’s government-issued identification credential is valid by reviewing all the public or proprietary data sources. For credential analysis, the Notary must use technology that;

Is as per good commercial techniques

Help the Notary to check the genuineness of the signer’s credential and make sure the credential is not fraud or altered.

Can use the credential issuing authority’s information to check the genuineness of the provided credential.

You can notarize almost every type of document online as you can do with traditional ways of notarization. Either financial documents or educational documents, you can choose remote online notarization for anyone. These days people prefer notarizing mortgage loan documents via virtual notarization due to the high level of security.

Mandatory or not, you can also notarize documents that seem to prevent future conflicts if notarized right away at the time of signing. For example, notarization of the Will signing is not mandatory in all states. However, if you notarize a Will, you and your family can avoid future probates.

For more information, click here.

Remote Online Notarization is legalized in the following states of the United States:

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Delaware(Temporary)
• Florida
• Georgia(Temporary)
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Connecticut
• Maine(temporary)
• Maryland
• Massachusetts(temporary)
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi(Temporary)
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina(Temporary)
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island( Temporary)
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• and Wyoming

However, RON is Prohibited in DC, and till now, there is no guidance regarding RON in South Carolina.

Instead of an inked signature, as per BILL: CS/CS/HB 409, an online notary needs to use the electronic signatures that are;

• Unique to the online Notary
• Can be verified independently
• Accessible only by the online notary public
• Affixed with the document, therefore, the alterations would be visible if done by any party.

The law also specified:

“An electronic signature is any letters, characters, or symbols, manifested by electronic means, executed or adopted by a party with an intent to authenticate a writing. A writing is electronically signed if an electronic signature is logically associated with such writing.”

Therefore, an electronic signature is considered acceptable only if it justifies the above requirements

We agree that switching to online ways can feel scary. No doubt, online frauds are a matter of concern too. However, if you choose a trustable platform, you can experience useful Remote online notarization without worrying about safety.

We at “Lottalegal” provide honest Remote online notarization services in the United States. You can benefit from RON services with us. We have a team of commissioned notaries who are happy to notarize your document anytime, anywhere in the United States.

Our notaries notarize documents keeping your personal information totally confidential. There is no need to leave your house, and a notary will connect you via your screen to notarize your documents in minutes. We have mastered safety and convenience with our latest technology just for our customers.

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