Is Remote Online Notarization Legal in All States?

Remote Online Notarization (RON) is legal and available to clients in all U.S. states, regardless of whether their state has authorized notaries to perform RON locally. This means you can legally use a RON service from anywhere in the United States, as long as the notary is located in a state where RON is authorized by law.

In a typical RON session, the notary must be physically located in the state where they are commissioned and authorized to perform RON. The signer, however, can be located anywhere — in another state, or even outside the United States in many cases. This flexibility makes RON a powerful solution for people who are traveling, living in another state, or unable to appear in person due to health, scheduling, or mobility concerns.

Most states have passed legislation allowing their notaries to perform RON. These include Florida, Texas, Virginia, Michigan, New York, and many others. However, a few states have not yet authorized their own notaries to conduct remote notarizations. Even in those states, there is no law prohibiting residents from working with a notary commissioned in a different state where RON is legal.

A key reason this is allowed is because of the legal principle of interstate recognition. In general, if a notarization is performed legally under the laws of the state where the notary is commissioned, that notarization is valid and enforceable in all other U.S. states. This principle applies to both traditional and remote notarizations. For example, if a document is notarized by a remote notary in Texas according to Texas law, that document is valid and acceptable in states like California or Georgia, even if those states have not yet authorized their own notaries to perform RON.

Clients often ask whether banks, courts, or agencies will accept a document notarized online. The answer is yes — in nearly all cases, as long as the notarization followed the correct legal process in the notary’s state. The document will include a digital notary certificate and tamper-evident seal, along with a recorded audit trail. These features ensure the notarization is secure and verifiable.

The SECURE Notarization Act, a federal bill under consideration by Congress, aims to establish nationwide standards for RON and require all states to recognize remote notarizations performed legally in other states. Although this act has not yet passed, current state laws already allow for cross-border validity of remote notarizations.

In summary, while not all states permit their own notaries to perform RON, clients in any state can legally use RON services by working with a commissioned online notary from a state where RON is authorized. This makes remote notarization accessible to virtually everyone in the U.S., offering a convenient, secure, and legally valid way to complete important documents without needing to meet a notary in person.