What Is a Remote Online Notary?

What actually changes

The notary's core duties are unchanged. What changes is the mechanics: the appearance is by audio/video, the identity check uses credential analysis and identity proofing rather than a glance at your license, the signature is electronic, and the notary's seal and signature are applied electronically to a digital document.

The session is recorded and retained under the rules that apply to the notary's commission. That recording is part of the notary's journal, not a marketing asset.

• Appearance: live audio/video instead of same-room
• Identity: credential analysis plus identity-proofing questions
• Signature: electronic signature applied during the session
• Seal: electronic notarial seal and certificate
• Record: session recording and electronic journal entry

What does not change

A remote online notary cannot notarize a document you have already signed out of view, cannot notarize for someone who is not present in the session, and cannot give you legal advice. The protections a notarization provides come from those limits, so removing the drive does not remove the rules.

How iNotarize fits in

iNotarize handles intake, review, and coordination, and arranges the notarial act with electronic notaries commissioned in Virginia. You upload your document, we tell you whether it can be handled remotely, and the session takes place through a compliant Remote Online Notarization workflow.

Uploading your document is not the notarization. It is how the request reaches us for review.

When a remote online notary is the wrong tool

Some documents need a paper original with a wet signature. Some recording offices and lenders have their own rules. Some acts, such as issuing certified copies of vital records, belong to a government agency rather than any notary. Review exists to catch those cases early.