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Online commission and certificate term check

Your commission and your digital certificate expire on different clocks, and a remote act needs both. Type the two expiration dates and see whether the certificate covers the whole commission, or by how many days it falls short. For the certificate rules themselves, see Texas online notary requirements or your state's page; renewals and the rest of the paperwork are under running a remote notary business.

Your dates

Type the two expiration dates. Pre-filled with a Texas example: a commission ending in 2030, a certificate ending two years earlier.

The certificate ends before the commission by

731 days short

From 2028-05-31, the day after the certificate expires, you hold a commission but no valid certificate to sign a remote act with. Replace the certificate before it runs out on 2028-05-30.

In Texas the online commission expires on the same day as the traditional one: 2030-05-31. A replaced certificate is reported to the Secretary of State.

Art Deco illustration of a blank calendar crossed by two bars of different lengths

What it works out

A remote act needs two things in date at the same moment: your commission, and the digital certificate that signs the record. They are issued by different people on different clocks. The state sets the commission term; the certificate's term is set by whoever issued it. When the certificate runs out first, you are still a notary but you cannot sign a remote act until a new certificate is installed on your platform and, in some states, reported. The tool counts the gap in days between the two expiration dates.

Texas adds a twist: its online commission is a second commission, and it ends on the same day as your traditional commission, so renewing one means renewing both. Who issues certificates, and for how long, is in the digital certificate providers comparison; a renewed commission can also mean a new seal image, and what it must show is in electronic notary seal requirements.

Worked example

The tool opens on a Texas notary whose commission ends 2030-05-31 and whose certificate ends 2028-05-30. From the certificate's end to the same day a year later is 365 days, the next year is 365 again (neither crosses a 29 February), and one more day reaches the commission's end: 731 days in which the notary could not sign a remote act.

The worked example
Traditional commission ends2030-05-31
Online commission ends (Texas: same day)2030-05-31
Digital certificate ends2028-05-30
Gap, counted by hand731 days short

State notes

What each state on file says about the remote authority and the certificate, in its own words:

COColorado
  • Submit a notice of intent on the approved form with proof of the remote training and exam and the fee, and receive the Secretary of State's approval; select at least one approved provider; renew every four years or with the commission. C.R.S. § 24-21-514.5(3); 8 CCR 1505-11, Rule 5.2.1
  • The electronic seal must match the official stamp and the electronic signature must match the official signature on file; both stay under the notary's sole control and must make the document tamper-evident. 8 CCR 1505-11, Rule 5.2.3
FLFlorida
  • Register with the Department of State: hold a current commission, certify a completed RON course, pay the registration fee ($10 per Rule 1N-7.001), file a sworn registration, name the RON service provider(s) you will use (Form DS-DOC-50), and show a $25,000 bond and $25,000 errors and omissions insurance. Tell the Department within 30 days if you change RON service provider. §§ 117.225, 117.265(5)(b), Fla. Stat.; Fla. Admin. Code R. 1N-7.001, 1N-7.005
  • Attach or logically associate your electronic signature and seal using tamper-evident technology capable of independent verification. The electronic signature must carry the seal information: full commissioned name, 'Notary Public State of Florida', commission expiration date and commission number. The statute sections read do not name a certificate standard such as X.509. §§ 117.021(2)-(3), 117.255(1)(c), Fla. Stat.; R. 1N-7.001(7)
KSKansas
  • Before the first remote act, notify the Secretary of State (Form NC) of the provider you will use, upload the training certificate and pay the $20 fee; RON registration runs with the four-year commission. K.S.A. 53-5a15(f)
  • To use a RON platform a notary must obtain a digital certificate that verifies the notary's identity and makes the notarized document tamper evident; platforms may provide one or explain how to get one. Kansas Secretary of State RON requirements
LALouisiana
  • A commissioned Louisiana notary registers for RON in the online notary account, uploads the course certificate and pays a one-time $100 filing fee; the notary's record is updated once approved. La. R.S. 35:621 et seq.
MEMaine
  • Submit the Notice to Perform Electronic and/or Remote Online Notarizations and receive the Secretary of State's approval; the notice names the approved provider(s), carries each provider's training certification and an example of your electronic signature and stamp. Report a provider change within 10 business days. 4 M.R.S. § 1915(12); 29-250 C.M.R. ch. 700, § 6(8)
  • For electronic records the provider's technology must let the notary affix an electronic signature that is attributable to the notary and tamper evident, and attach or logically associate the certificate in a tamper-evident manner. 29-250 C.M.R. ch. 700, § 6(2)(F)-(G)
MDMaryland
  • Before the first remote act, notify the Secretary of State on the online remote notary form and name the authorized remote online notary vendor(s) you will use; tell the office within 10 business days of a vendor change and file a new form at each renewal. Md. Code, State Gov't § 18-214(k); COMAR 01.02.08.07
  • A notary may select one or more tamper-evident technologies for electronic records; for an electronic record the official stamp may be attached to or logically associated with the certificate. No digital-certificate type is named in the statute. Md. Code, State Gov't §§ 18-215(b)(3), 18-220(a)
MOMissouri
  • Be a commissioned Missouri notary, then register the remote capability with the Secretary of State on the electronic form, naming the technology you will use; register again on recommissioning. RSMo §§ 486.1120, 486.1130
  • Attach a registered electronic signature and registered electronic notary seal that are unique, independently verifiable, under the notary's sole control and that show any later alteration. The seal shows the name, commissioning jurisdiction, "Electronic Notary Public", commission or registration number and expiration date. RSMo §§ 486.1165(2), 486.1170
NENebraska
  • Hold a Nebraska notary commission, pass the online notary course and exam, then file the Online Notary Public application in the Secretary of State's portal with the $50 filing fee; the approval letter goes to your solution provider to authorize your account. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 64-406
  • The electronic signature and online notary seal must be under the notary's sole control; the seal carries a border, the name as commissioned, identifying number, expiration date, "Online Notary Public" and "Nebraska". 433 NAC ch. 8, §§ 006-007
PAPennsylvania
  • Before acting as a remote notary, notify the Department of State electronically at www.notaries.pa.gov and identify each technology you intend to use; repeat the notice when you add or drop a provider and at the start of each new commission. 4 Pa. Code § 167.81
  • The technology must let anyone inspecting the electronic record detect tampering with the certificate, and must carry the official stamp information as part of, or securely attached to, the record. No digital-certificate type is named in the rule. 4 Pa. Code § 167.86(7)-(8)
TXTexas
  • 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'
  • 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)
  • The SOS lists what a notary's certificate must be, including that it is not expired. Texas SOS, Digital Certificates
  • “If you replace, update, or make any changes to your digital certificate or electronic seal, you are required to provide updated information to the Secretary of State.” Texas SOS, Getting Started as an Online Notary
VAVirginia
  • Hold a current traditional Virginia commission, then file the online electronic notary application ($45, non-refundable) with a signature page that includes your electronic notary seal. The form gives your names, a description of the signing technology, a certification that you comply with the Secretary's standards and your email, and is signed with that electronic signature. Notify the Secretary within 90 days of using new technology. Va. Code § 47.1-7; Secretary of the Commonwealth eNotary page
  • Sign with a digital certificate that conforms to X.509 and is issued and managed by a trusted root Certificate Authority, together with a seal image or text showing your commissioned name, registration number, 'Electronic Notary Public', 'Commonwealth of Virginia' and the commission expiration date. The certificate may not be used past your commission's expiration. Virginia Electronic Notarization Assurance Standard § 2.1(b)-(e); Va. Code § 47.1-16(D)-(E)
WAWashington
  • Hold a notary commission, add the electronic records notary endorsement ($15) and apply separately for the remote notary endorsement, naming your remote notarization software. Notify the Department of Licensing of the technologies before your first remote act and wait for its approval. RCW 42.45.200(7), 42.45.280(7); WAC 308-30-030(3)-(7), 308-30-060; DOL 'Get your license'
  • Use a tamper-evident technology from a provider that enrolls only endorsed notaries and requires password or other secure access; your electronic signature must be capable of independent verification through the Department, and your electronic stamp is a digital image matching the physical stamp's requirements. The rules read do not name a certificate standard such as X.509. WAC 308-30-130, 308-30-170, 308-30-180

A certificate is one line of the setup a remote session needs; the rest is in the RON readiness checklist, and the order it all comes in is in how to start a remote notary business.

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