How to become a remote online notary

To become an online notary, you add remote authority to the commission you already hold: tell or register with your state, train if it asks, choose a platform it will accept, and set up your digital certificate and e-seal. The order is the same everywhere; the words, fees and lists are not. Pick your state below for its version, with the rule behind each step, then go to the state-approved platforms comparison to choose the platform. Each later step of the practice is under running a remote notary business.

Checked 2026-10-22

Fig. 1

Each step builds on the one before it, from the commission to the session kit.

The path, in the order it runs

Remote notarization is not a separate profession. It is an authority added to a commission you already hold, so the order matters: a state will not register you for remote work before the commission exists, and most will not accept the registration until you name the technology. The six steps below are the same everywhere; what changes is how each state words them.

01Hold a commissionEvery path starts from a traditional notary commission in the state where you will sit during the session.
02Get remote authorityA notice, a registration or a second commission, depending on the state, often naming the platform you will use.
03Train, if your state asksSome states add a remote course and exam; some ask for none; a platform may train you either way.
04Pick a platform the state will acceptFrom the state's published list where there is one; otherwise one that meets the state's technology rule.
05Get your certificate and e-sealThe digital certificate that makes your act tamper-evident, and the electronic seal image.
06Set up records and coverJournal, recording retention, bond, and E&O if you choose or a client asks.

Your state's path

Each row is one step, in your state's own words, with the value we read and a link to the source. The bond row comes from the commissioning office; the rest from the state's remote notarization statute or rule.

Your commissioning state

01 Remote authorityseparate SOS commission; $50 application fee
A separate online notary commission from the Secretary of State. You must already hold a current traditional Texas commission, then apply electronically with your digital certificate, an image of your electronic seal and a statement of officer signed with that certificate. The application fee is $50 plus a 2.7% convenience fee, and the online commission expires on the same day as your traditional commission.Tex. Gov't Code § 406.105; 1 TAC §§ 87.4, 87.11; SOS 'Getting Started as an Online Notary'
02 Training or examSOS education course (max 2 hours) for applicants
Since January 1, 2026, applicants for a Texas notary commission must complete the Secretary of State's education course (no more than two hours, 70% of questions answered correctly); an applicant also applying for an online commission answers questions on online notary subject matter. The statute bars requiring the initial-appointment course of a person appointed before September 1, 2025.Tex. Gov't Code §§ 406.006(6), 406.023(d); 1 TAC § 87.8
03 Platformno state list
The Secretary of State keeps no approved provider list. On digital certificates: 'The secretary of state cannot recommend any third party providers to you.' On identity proofing: asked whether it has a list of approved providers, the SOS answers 'No.'state source
04 Certificate and e-sealX.509 PKI digital certificate + electronic seal
A digital certificate issued by a third-party provider, using PKI technology and X.509 compliant, that makes any later change to the document evident; plus an electronic seal with 'Notary Public, State of Texas' around a five-point star, your name, notary ID number and commission expiration date.Tex. Gov't Code § 406.109(d); 1 TAC §§ 87.4(b)(7)(B), 87.41(j)
05 Bond$10,000
Payable to the governor, conditioned on the faithful performance of the duties of office.Tex. Gov't Code § 406.010
06 Keep the recording5 years
Keep the recording of the video and audio conference, with a backup, for five years after the date of the notarization. Storage may be contracted to a third party that gives you complete access for the whole retention period.Tex. Gov't Code § 406.108(a)(6), (c); 1 TAC §§ 87.51(b), 87.54(b)

Next for Texas: RON platforms for Texas notaries, Texas online notary requirements.

Where the states split

Three steps carry most of the difference: what the state calls the remote authority, whether it adds training, and whether it publishes a platform list. Read across a row for your state, or down a column to see the range.

How each state on file grants remote authority
State	Remote authority	Training or exam	Platform
COColorado	notice of intent, approval	course + exam	from the state's list (20)
FLFlorida	DOS registration; $25,000 bond + $25,000 E&O	2-hour course	self-certified providers
KSKansas	notice + $20 fee	course + test	from the state's list (30)
LALouisiana	registration, $100 one-time fee	course + quiz	from the state's list (19)
MEMaine	notice accepted by the Secretary of State	provider training; no extra state test	from the state's list (12)
MDMaryland	notice to the Secretary of State	commission course and exam; vendor training	from the state's list (36)
MOMissouri	registration with the Secretary of State	course + exam	from the state's list (31)
NENebraska	registration, $50 filing fee	course + exam	from the state's list (20)
PAPennsylvania	notice to the Department	no RON-specific training	from the state's list (28)
TXTexas	separate SOS commission; $50 application fee	SOS education course (max 2 hours) for applicants	no state list
VAVirginia	eNotary commission; $45 application	none now; 4-hour course + exam from 2027-07-01	no state list
WAWashington	commission + electronic endorsement ($15) + remote endorsement	none required	no state list

The digital certificate and the seal

Every state on file whose certificate rule we read asks that a remote act be tamper-evident; they differ on how hard they specify it. Texas's rule, in short, is X.509 PKI digital certificate + electronic seal; Virginia names an X.509 certificate from a trusted root authority. Kansas is the list state whose Secretary of State says outright that a notary needs a digital certificate to use a platform. Elsewhere the platform often supplies or bundles the certificate, which is worth checking before you pay for one separately.

Art Deco illustration of a blank ID card beside a ruled document and a pen — Identity, signature and seal: the three things a remote act has to carry.

Who issues certificates, and which platforms accept which, is in the digital certificate providers comparison, along with whether your seal image attaches together with the certificate.

Before the first session

Approval is not the finish line. The platform has to know you are authorized, your journal has to be ready for a remote entry, and the recording has to be kept for your state's period, by you or by the platform on your behalf. Bond and E&O ride along: in Florida the online registration itself needs a larger bond (it also stands in for the commission bond) and an E&O policy (Florida online notary requirements), and elsewhere the bond you already hold covers remote acts too (see notary bond vs E&O insurance). Which E&O policies say in writing that they cover remote acts is in E&O insurance for remote notaries.

Art Deco illustration of a laptop with a headset and a webcam set out in front of it — The working kit: a laptop, a webcam, a headset and a quiet room.

Questions notaries ask

Can I become a remote online notary without a regular commission?

Not in any state read for this page. Remote authority is added to a traditional commission: Texas issues a separate online commission only to a current Texas notary, Virginia's eNotary commission requires a current traditional one, and the notice and registration states all start from a commissioned notary.

Can I notarize for a signer in another state?

Generally the rule that matters is the one in the state where you, the notary, are located and commissioned. Each state sets its own conditions on where the signer may be, so read your state's rule before taking a signer abroad or out of state.

Do I need a separate exam for remote notarization?

Some states add one and some do not; the range runs from a state-run course with a scored exam to nothing beyond the commission you already hold. The training row of the picker above gives your state's rule in its own words, and the remote online notary training guide groups every state on file by what it asks.

How long does it take?

It depends on the state's review, which no page can promise. The steps you control, training and choosing a platform, can run in parallel while the commission is in place; the registration or notice usually waits on both.