Remote online notary training by state

Some states make you pass a remote notarization course and exam before you register; others ask for nothing beyond your commission, or leave it to the platform to train you. Here is what each state on file requires, in its own words and with its source, and what a private “RON certification” does and does not replace. Training is one step of the path in how to become a remote online notary. Its neighbours are under running a remote notary business.

Checked 2026-10-22

Fig. 1

Most states that train remote notaries do it online, before registration.

Five kinds of requirement

Read the states' rules side by side and they fall into five groups, from a state-run course with an exam to nothing beyond the commission. Find your state's chip, then read its full rule in the next section.

A remote course and an exam or test

The state runs or approves a course on remote notarization and tests you on it before you register.

COKSLAMONE

A remote course, no state exam

A course on the remote duties and technology, without a state exam.

Training folded into the commission

The commission course itself carries the requirement: in Texas now, in Virginia from July 1, 2027; no separate remote course.

TXVA

Platform training only

No extra state test for remote work, but the technology provider trains you on its system.

MEMD

No remote-specific training

Nothing beyond what every notary in the state already does.

PAWA

Every state's rule, in its own words

The groups above are our shorthand. The rule itself is below, state by state, with the statute or rule it comes from. The detail matters: Nebraska sets a pass mark and a number of attempts, Colorado repeats the training at every renewal, and Texas and Virginia fold the requirement into the commission itself. Florida's course sits among the other registration steps in the Florida online notary requirements, and the Texas commission step in the Texas online notary requirements.

COColorado: Complete the Secretary of State's remote notarization training course and exam; renewal requires renewal training and exam within 90 days before renewing.8 CCR 1505-11, Rules 5.2.1-5.2.2
FLFlorida: A 2-hour in-person or online course on the duties, obligations and technology requirements of an online notary, from the Florida Land Title Association, the Florida Bar RPPTL Section, the Florida Legal Education Association, the Department of State or a Department-approved vendor.§§ 117.225(2), 117.295(6), Fla. Stat.
KSKansas: Complete the Secretary of State's course and pass the test (free) and submit the certificate with the RON notice.K.S.A. 53-5a15(f), 53-5a23
LALouisiana: Complete an online instruction course and pass a quiz before registering.La. R.S. 35:621 et seq.
MEMaine: Training in the use of each approved provider's technology is required; no additional Secretary of State test for remote work. A new notary applicant must pass the commission exam.4 M.R.S. § 1923; Secretary of State RON FAQ
MDMaryland: New notary applicants must complete a course of study and pass an exam. For remote work, the vendor must train the notary on its technology before providing service.COMAR 01.02.08.05C(1); SOS New Applicant page
MOMissouri: Before first registering, complete a Secretary-approved course on remote online notarization law, procedure and ethics (in addition to the commissioning course) and pass an exam.RSMo § 486.1125
NENebraska: Complete the Secretary of State's online notary training course and pass a 20-question exam with at least 85% (three attempts; the passing score is valid for 90 days).Neb. Rev. Stat. § 64-404
PAPennsylvania: No extra course or exam for remote notarization. Every notary completes the Department-approved basic or continuing education course (at least three hours), and a new applicant must pass the notary exam.4 Pa. Code § 167.15; Department of State RON FAQ
TXTexas: 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
VAVirginia: The version of § 47.1-5 in force until July 1, 2027 lists no course. From July 1, 2027, applicants for a notary or electronic notary commission must take a 4-hour course approved by the Secretary (one hour on real estate fraud and elder financial exploitation) and pass a written exam within six months before applying; renewals need a 2-hour course.Va. Code §§ 47.1-5 (both versions), 47.1-5.2 (eff. July 1, 2027)
WAWashington: No training class is required in Washington; the Department of Licensing recommends one.DOL FAQ: notaries public

The training the platform gives you

State training teaches the law. The platform teaches its own system, and two states make that training the requirement: Maine asks for training in each approved provider's technology, and Maryland has the vendor train you before it provides service. Elsewhere it is still where you learn the session itself: identity proofing, the recording, the journal entry and the certificate. Ask what the platform's onboarding covers before you sign up; the RON platforms for a solo notary comparison reads each one's published requirements.

Art Deco illustration of a squared stack of closed journals under a desk lamp — Courses, certificates of completion and the commission file belong together.

Is there a RON certification?

Not one that a state accepts in place of its own. In the rules read here, what a state wants is proof that you completed its course or passed its test, filed with the registration: Kansas has you submit the certificate with the remote notice, and Louisiana has you upload it with the registration. A private “RON certification” can be good preparation and some platforms or signing services ask for one, but it does not stand in for the state's step.

Art Deco illustration of a ruled document with blank boxes beside a laptop — The state's course comes first; a platform's onboarding comes after.

Questions notaries ask

Which states require training before remote notarization?

Among the states on file: Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Nebraska ask for a remote course with an exam, test or quiz, and Florida for a course alone. In Texas and Virginia the commission course carries it (in Virginia from July 1, 2027), Maine and Maryland rely on the platform's training, and Pennsylvania and Washington add nothing for remote work.

Who provides the training?

Usually the commissioning office itself (Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Texas run their own courses) or a provider it approves. Florida names the Florida Land Title Association, the Florida Bar RPPTL Section, the Florida Legal Education Association, the Department of State or a Department-approved vendor.

Do I have to retake the training when I renew?

Colorado says so: renewal training and an exam within 90 days before renewing. Virginia's 2027 rule asks for a 2-hour course on renewal. Check your own state's renewal rule; the others on file do not say so in the text read here.

Is an exam score valid forever?

Not in Nebraska, where the passing score of the online notary exam is valid for 90 days. Register within that window.