Remote online notarization is not a video call where someone watches you sign. It is a defined process with identity checks, a recorded session, and a tamper-evident electronic document at the end.
Before the session: the document comes first
You send the document as a PDF, unsigned. Nothing gets signed in advance. The notarial act has to happen during the session, which is the whole point of it. If your document has been printed, signed by hand, and scanned, it is no longer a candidate for remote online notarization; it is a paper document that needs an in-person act.
This is also the moment to check the receiving party will accept an electronically notarized document. Most Washington county recorders and most banks will. Some out-of-state institutions and a few foreign consulates still want wet ink on paper. Five minutes of checking here saves an entire wasted appointment.
Step one: identity proofing
You answer a set of questions generated from public and commercial data about you, former addresses, previous vehicles, that sort of thing. There is a time limit and a limited number of attempts. Most people pass on the first try. If you have a thin credit file or you have moved recently, you may not, and that is a limitation of the system rather than a problem with you.
Step two: credential analysis
You photograph the front and back of your government-issued photo ID. Software examines the security features, the fonts, the machine-readable zone, and whether the physical characteristics match what that jurisdiction’s license should look like. A worn, cracked, or heavily glared ID can fail this even when it is perfectly genuine, so it is worth photographing in good light on a dark surface.
Step three: the session
You join a video session with a commissioned Washington notary. We confirm you are the person on the credential, confirm you understand the document and are signing willingly, and watch you apply your electronic signature. The session is recorded, that recording is part of the record of the act, not an optional extra.
Keep the file: The completed PDF carries the electronic seal and digital certificate. Store and send the file itself, printing it discards the very thing that makes it verifiable.
Step four: seal and delivery
The notarial certificate and electronic seal are applied, and the document is sealed with a digital certificate so any later alteration is detectable. You receive the completed PDF. Do not print it and mail the printout unless the receiving party has told you a printed copy is acceptable, printing discards the very thing that makes it verifiable.
When remote is the wrong tool
- I-9 employment verification. Requires physical examination of documents by the authorized representative.
- Some estate documents. Where a will needs two witnesses in a particular arrangement, check the requirements before assuming remote works.
- A signer who cannot manage the technology. If identity proofing and a video session would be genuinely distressing, a mobile visit is kinder and faster.
- Anything the receiving party will not accept electronically. That is their decision to make, not ours.
What it costs
Washington caps a remote notarial act at $25. There is no travel fee, because nobody travels. For Washington documents where the receiving party accepts electronic notarization, it is usually both the cheapest and the fastest route, an appointment can often happen the same day.