One perk about going into the notary industry is that there are many different options available. There’s a diverse amount of notary services you can offer. Here are 3 different types of notary services to explore if you want to take your notary business to the next level. These services include mobile notary, E notary, and Remote Online notary.
Mobile Notary
Mobile Notary is the more common notary that most people know about. A mobile notary travels to the client’s location on a certain day and time and conducts the notarization in person. In other words, the physical presence is required of the notary and all signers. This type of notary service does not involve any technical processes to finalize the transaction.
All signers and the notary signing agent will meet in one place to sign and notarize all the documents involved. With mobile notarizations a travel fee can be charged by the notary. The fee will depend on what state you’re in and the travelling distance and location.
E Notary
Just like a mobile notary, an E Notary will notarize documents in person. But the difference is that technology is used by the E notary to complete the notarization. In eNotarization, the notary uses an electronic signature and an electronic seal instead of an inked signature and seal to sign and certify the documents. This type of E notary service provides for a more secure and safe signing as a key is used to seal the documents in Word or PDF form.
To perform this type of notarization the notary will use an electronic signature seal instead of a stamp and an electronic device such as a laptop or tablet. Again, this type of notary service is performed in person. The notary either goes to the clients or the clients can come to the notary at his or her office or other location. All parties must be physically present in the location.
Remote Online Notary
A Remote Online notary uses technology to conduct the notarization just like an E Notary does. The process is also the same. However, the process is carried out online or virtually. The Remote Online Notary aka RON does the notarization over video and audio. The notary and signer are not physically together. Everything that needs to take place is done via video and audio.
The biggest perk regarding this type of notarization is the convenience it allows. When the notarization takes place can be at any time the parties agree upon since it’s online. The process involves the signer uploading the documents to be notarized. The notary then contacts the signer via audio-video conferencing. After the notary confirms the signer’s identity and virtual meeting is done, the notary will download the documents and notarize them. The notarized documents are then sent to the signer’s email.
How you verify the signers identify depends on your state’s laws and the technology you have in place. Methods used to identify signers may include personal knowledge, a credible witness, or an identity verification process which may require a few steps. Check your state’s laws to see which method is allowed.
Verifying the signer’s identity is also different in RON. Unlike in other notarizations, the remote online Notary uses knowledge-based authentication or KBA to check the identity of the signer to ensure the authenticity of the signer’s documents. Remote online notarization is also known as virtual, online, or webcam notarization. In addition, the signer may be required to show an identification document to the notary on camera. Or the signer may have to answers a series of questions to identify themselves. Again, check your state laws to see which methods of identifying signers you can use as well as make sure your state authorizes remote online notarizations. Some states do not allow notaries to perform RON. However, many states do, and it is becoming more and more popular.
Which of these three types of notarizations do you prefer and why? The type you prefer will more than likely depend on a number of factors. For instance, introverts may prefer the RON method for notarizing while extroverts or very social paper may enjoy the more traditional way of doing notarizations, or mobile notarizations. RON is also great for those who don’t drive of have limited mobility. The thing to remember is that there are options when it comes to working in the notary industry. Use those options to your advantages to flourish as a notary.
Happy notarizing!