Getting Started
How Do I Get a Document Notarized Online?
Before you start
Two preparation steps prevent almost every delay: get the document as a clean, complete PDF, and ask the recipient what they will accept. If a form has a notarial certificate block, make sure it is included in the file you upload.
- Complete, unsigned document — ideally PDF
- Unexpired government-issued photo ID
- Device with camera, microphone, and stable internet
- Names and locations of all signers and witnesses
- Your deadline and the name of the recipient
Filling out the request
The intake asks where you are physically located right now, not where you live or where the document will be used. Those can all be different, and each one matters for a different reason. Answer them separately and accurately.
What happens after you submit
You receive a request number in the format INO-XXXXXXXX. We review the document, and if something is missing or a requirement applies that you may not have known about, we tell you before scheduling. Submitting a document does not guarantee that the document or transaction is eligible for remote online notarization.
Common mistakes
The three most frequent problems are signing in advance, uploading a photo of only one page of a multi-page document, and assuming a recipient accepts electronic notarization when it does not.
A note on legal advice
This article is educational. Notaries are not acting as attorneys and cannot provide legal advice, select legal documents for you, or advise you on a document's legal effect. We also cannot guarantee that any court, recorder, lender, title company, agency, embassy, consulate, or foreign authority will accept a specific electronically notarized document — confirm that with the organization receiving it.
FAQ
Related questions
Where to go next
Online notary by state
Upload your document and get started
Skip the drive. Start your online notarization request from wherever you are.