Remote online notarization in Florida: how it actually works

A surprising amount of retirement and estate paperwork stalls at the same step: somebody has to get a signature notarized, and the person signing is not able to get to an office. A parent in assisted living, an adult child two states away, a document that has to be signed this week. Since 2020, Florida has had an answer to that.

What remote online notarization is

Remote online notarization, usually shortened to RON, is a notarization done over a live, recorded video session instead of across a desk. Florida authorized it in Chapter 117 of the Florida Statutes, effective January 1, 2020. The notary must hold a separate online notary commission and use a state-approved platform, and the session is recorded and kept.

You do not need to be in Florida to sign. The notary does. That is what makes it useful for families spread across the country.

What happens in a session

1. You upload the document to the platform, or the notary does, before the session.
2. Your identity is checked two ways: you answer a short set of questions drawn from public records, and you hold your government ID up to the camera so the platform can verify it.
3. You sign electronically on screen while the notary watches.
4. The notary applies an electronic seal and signature, and you receive the completed document as a PDF.

The whole thing usually takes fifteen to twenty minutes. You need a computer or phone with a camera, a reasonable internet connection, and your ID.

I started doing online notarizations because families kept telling me the hardest part of the process was getting everyone in the same room. Now nobody has to be in the same room, and the document still gets done properly.

Michelle Rocchio

Which documents still need witnesses

Some Florida documents require witnesses as well as a notary. A will needs two witnesses under Florida law, and so do certain trust and health-care documents. Those can still be done online, but the witnesses have to be present in the session too, and Florida sets rules about how that works. Tell the notary what you are signing before the appointment, and they will say exactly what the document needs.

When it beats driving in

RON is the right tool when travel is hard, when the signer is out of state, or when the timing matters more than the trip. In-person is still simplest when you are already coming to the office, and some institutions still ask for a paper notarization, so it is worth checking before you book.

We handle both, in person at the Daytona Beach office and online, including for documents we had no part in preparing. See notary services, or book a time and we will tell you which one fits.

Sources: Chapter 117, Florida Statutes, Part II, Online Notarizations; Section 732.502, Florida Statutes, execution of wills. This article is educational and is not legal advice.