Electronic notary certificate wording
A remote act needs one more line on the certificate than an act across the desk, and the line is not the same in every state. Here are the words 11 states give or require, taken from the statute or the state's own forms, with each one ready to copy. It sits with the journal and seal pages under journals, records and e-seals.
Rules last read
Fig. 1The one line most states add
A remote act keeps the ordinary certificate (acknowledgment, jurat, and so on) and adds a statement that the act was done by communication technology. Four of the states read here share one short-form sentence, and each says that sentence is enough:
“This notarial act involved the use of communication technology.”
Used word for word in Kansas, Maine, Pennsylvania and Washington.
| Wording | States |
|---|---|
| “This notarial act involved the use of communication technology.” | KS, ME, PA, WA |
| “by means of ☐ physical presence or ☐ online notarization” | FL |
| “This notarial act involved a remotely located individual and the use of communication technology.” | MD |
| “personally appeared by remote online means” | MO |
| “This notarial act was an online notarization.” | TX |
Fig. 2States that word it their own way
The rest either give their own words or say what the certificate must indicate and leave the words to you:
- COThe certificate must indicate that the notarial act was performed using audio-video communication technology. C.R.S. § 24-21-514.5(8)
- FLThe certificate must note that the notarization is an online notarization, which can be met by placing 'online notary' in or next to the seal. The statutory forms read 'by means of ☐ physical presence or ☐ online notarization'. §§ 117.05(4)(c), 117.05(13), 117.265(7), Fla. Stat.
- MDThe certificate must indicate a remotely located individual and communication technology; a short form is sufficient with the statement "This notarial act involved a remotely located individual and the use of communication technology." Md. Code, State Gov't § 18-214(h)-(i)
- MOCertificates follow the statutory forms, which state that the signer "personally appeared by remote online means". RSMo §§ 486.1165(3), 486.1175
- NEThe online certificate must carry the online notary's electronic signature, seal, title and commission expiration date, the date and place of the act, and completed acknowledgment, jurat, verification or oath wording. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 64-402(8)
- TXThe certificate must note that the notarization was an online notarization and say whether the signature was a tangible symbol or an electronic signature; it also names the principal, the date, the state and county, and the type of act. The SOS sample forms end with: 'This notarial act was an online notarization.' Tex. Gov't Code § 406.110(d); 1 TAC § 87.41(e); SOS online notary educational information
- VAThe electronic certificate must state the Virginia county or city where the notary was physically located and whether the notarization was done in person or by remote online notarization. Va. Code §§ 47.1-2, 47.1-16(A)
The full Texas and Florida paths are in Texas online notary requirements and Florida online notary requirements. When the signer is abroad, the act itself has conditions of its own; see remote notarization for signers outside the US. A paper signed in ink on camera, under the Texas and Maryland procedures, takes a statement of its own on the certificate; see remote ink notarization.
Your state's wording, ready to copy
Pick the state that commissioned you. Where the rule gives words, copy them exactly; where it only says what the certificate must indicate, the line under it says what that is.
Texas
“This notarial act was an online notarization.”
The certificate must note that the notarization was an online notarization and say whether the signature was a tangible symbol or an electronic signature; it also names the principal, the date, the state and county, and the type of act. The SOS sample forms end with: 'This notarial act was an online notarization.'
Tex. Gov't Code § 406.110(d); 1 TAC § 87.41(e); SOS online notary educational informationread
Questions notaries ask
Do I need a different certificate for a remote act?
Usually the same certificate form, with a statement that the act used communication technology, or the state's own words for an online act. Check your state's current rule for the words.
What does a Texas online certificate say?
It notes that the act was an online notarization and whether the signature was a tangible symbol or an electronic signature, with the principal, the date, the state and county and the type of act. The Secretary of State's sample forms end with: "This notarial act was an online notarization."
Can I meet Florida's rule by marking the seal?
Yes: The certificate must note that the notarization is an online notarization, which can be met by placing 'online notary' in or next to the seal. The statutory forms read 'by means of ☐ physical presence or ☐ online notarization'.
Whose county goes on the certificate when the signer is in another state?
Yours. Virginia's certificate names the county or city where the notary was physically located, and Texas has the notary physically in Texas for every online act.
Related
- Electronic notary seal requirementsWhat an electronic seal must contain, how it differs from the digital certificate, and how states have you register it.
- Remote notarization for signers outside the USWhat the notary's state allows when the signer is abroad, and what the notary must confirm first.
- Texas online notary requirementsThe Texas path: commission, digital certificate, electronic seal, online application and record keeping.
- Florida online notary requirementsThe path to a Florida online notary commission and what the state asks of the notary and the RON service provider.
- Notary digital certificate providers, comparedWho issues X.509 certificates to notaries, how identity is checked before issue, and which platforms accept one you bring.