A notary public with an active commission in Ohio may perform electronic notarizations without any additional authorization from our office. An electronic notarization is a notarial act performed by a notary public using his or her electronic seal and electronic signature on a digital document. An electronic notarization is an in-person act where the notarial act procedures remain the same. The requirements include personal appearance, verifying the identity of the signer, completion of the notarial certificate by affixing the notary’s electronic signature and electronic seal to the certificate.
An online notarization is a notarial act performed by an Ohio notary public who has been authorized to perform online notarizations when a signer personally appears before the notary using audio-visual technology instead of being physically present in the same location as the notary. An online notarization requires the use of an online notarization system to perform the act as the signer is not located in the same location as the notary.
To perform an online notarization, a notary public must be authorized by the Secretary of State’s Office. To be authorized the notary must file an online authorization application showing proof of the completion of a 2 hour education program, passing a test and stating the name of the online notarization system/vendor to be used. All notaries public authorized to perform online notarizations must be legal residents of Ohio and may only perform online notarizations when they are located in Ohio, although the signer can be outside of Ohio or outside of the United States at the time of the act.