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What is the Online Notary Process?

What is the Online Notary Process?

Tips and Steps for a Successful Online Notary Session

First, you will receive an email with a link to verify your identification and prepare for your signing session on the day of your appointment, typically within an hour of the start time. If you do not receive an email, please get in touch with the notary.

List of Important Points That Will Allow the Session to Proceed

Signers: Provide your notary with the list of all signer’s emails/names when you schedule an appointment. Do not list emails for people who will not be signing — if others do not log in and pass ID verification, it will prevent your session from being able to start. Signers/witnesses cannot be removed or added to existing sessions.

Don’t sign your document yet. You will electronically sign during your online session in the notary’s presence. If you have already affixed your signature to the document, note that you will sign again online electronically.

Witnesses: Please advise if witnesses, other than the notary, will be required for the signing, and indicate how many witnesses are necessary. If you are unsure, email the document to the notary. As a Texas Notary, I can witness and notarize most routine general documents. A witness cannot be added or removed from a session once it has started; a new session will need to be created—you are not charged for unsuccessful sessions.

Understand/Speak English: All signers/witnesses must speak and understand English. The documents to be notarized/signed should be written/printed in English. Please advise if they are not so we can determine whether or not we can proceed.

Invitation to Session: A “Get Started” e-mail is generated once the invitation is created and sent to the email that you provided. This invitation/verification lasts 12 hours if you need to postpone the appointment. After that, a new invitation will need to be generated. Check your junk/spam/promotions email folders for the “Get Started” email. Click the blue “Get Started” button in that email. If you do not receive the “get started” email, inform your notary for further instructions. Do not create a new session: You must be in the session your notary generates.

Devices: Each signer must have a separate device, and signers will use their device to create their electronic signature during the online audio/video session. You may not share one device. If multiple signers are in one location, please be in separate rooms and/or try wearing headphones to avoid audio feedback. A person can only sign if they receive an invitation to join the session and have gone through the below-mentioned ID and KBA process.

Valid IDs: All signers must have valid identification. U.S. state ID or a Passport is required—please note foreign passports are only acceptable if signing Real Estate/Closing documents/packages (Deeds, purchase/sale, etc.).

When uploading your identification, lay it on a flat, dark surface in great lighting, and avoid using a flash. Every signer must have a social security number.

KBA identity verification: You must provide a valid US address. Knowledge-Based Authentication will generate a short list of questions to verify you are who you claim to be, verifying data associated with your ID and SSN to confirm your identity. Questions are drawn from your credit history/background. If you have less than one year of credit history, you may not have enough history for the questions to be generated by KBA, and you will not be able to proceed with a Remote Online Notarization at this time. This often happens with younger signers (20 years old or younger) or those who recently obtained a Social Security Card/Number. Credit Freeze: LifeLock or any other credit freezing program will cause identity verification failure. You must turn it off before you attempt this. You can turn it back on once the session is completed.

Documents to be signed: You may email the notary to upload your documents, or you may upload your documents securely on the platform while starting your session. PDF files work best; if you need assistance converting documents to PDF, please email the documents to your notary or download a PDF converter App to your device before the session starts. Password-protected documents will show as blank pages on the screen. Remove password protection before uploading. We cannot notarize password-protected documents at this time.

As the signer, you are responsible for communicating with any state or governmental agency or official about their acceptance of a remote online notarized document(s).

As a Texas Remote Online Notary/Signing Agent, I can notarize documents from anyone anywhere in the world, as well as real estate closings, etc.

The signers can be located anywhere worldwide with a valid ID, a good internet connection, and a smart device with audio-visual capability.

Firewalls: A firewall on a secure system will often prevent the audiovisual communication necessary during the online session. If you are on a computer or secure work network (military, hospital, government), you will likely need to move away from that system and use a personal device instead.

More Tips for a smooth Online Notary Session

· Be sure you use the CHROME browser and allow the audio video in the settings.
· Try using earbuds if audio issues arise
· Turn up your volume
· Turn off Bluetooth if audio/sound issues
· Refresh the browser if the screen freezes or you cannot see the pages
· Try switching to a different device if all else fails
· Do not create a new session
· Contact your notary if you cannot connect to the session invitation.

My purpose as a Texas Notary & NNA Certified Signing Agent:

  1. To verify your identity through your valid government-issued identification, and
  2. To witness, you apply your signature or initials to the documents.

I will guide you through the pages of your documents to sign and/or initial where indicated. And to point out any blanks for you to fill in (your document should not contain any blanks. “N/A” may be applied to blank spaces when necessary.

I am prohibited by law from providing legal advice or any direction on the completion or correctness of your documents.

I am prohibited from placing my seal or signature on a document without an Acknowledgement or a Jurat, and it must not be placed on top of or overlap anything in the documents. And will guide you through all this online.

Thank you for choosing TexasNotaryLive.com to conduct your Remote Online Notarizations and Real Estate Closings Online. I am a Texas Remote Online Notary Public and NSA Certified Signing Agent in Hays County, Texas.