Online notarization (RON) in Florida

How a session works

1. Book and upload. You get a link to the online notarization platform (we use Proof) and upload the document.
2. Scan your ID. You photograph your physical ID live. Software checks its security features and data. This is called credential analysis.
3. Answer identity questions. Florida's standard is at least five multiple-choice questions, each with at least five choices, drawn from public and private data such as credit records. You answer all of them within two minutes and need at least 80% right. This is knowledge-based authentication (KBA).
4. Join the live video call. The notary sees and hears you in real time, compares you to your ID, and confirms you understand the document and are signing willingly. The notary must be in Florida. If you are not, you confirm you want a Florida notary to perform the act under Florida law.
5. Sign electronically. You sign on screen. The notary applies an electronic signature and seal, and the certificate shows the act was done by online notarization. Florida requires the session to be recorded and kept for at least 10 years.
6. Download the finished document. You get the completed electronic document from the platform.

Florida caps the online notary's fee at $25 per notarial act. The online platform may charge its own fee on top.

ID: two different rule sets

“What ID do I need?” depends on who is asking. Florida law sets the minimum, and the platform sets its own list.

Florida law accepts a U.S. military ID, but Proof does not. That is the platform's own rule. Florida is also reviewing a rule change that would allow other identity checks, such as biometrics. Until it is adopted, the identity questions are the standard method.

If you can't pass identity verification

Florida allows one retry of the identity questions, with at least two new questions. If you fail again, or the databases don't have enough records about you, the notary is not allowed to proceed online. This happens more often with recent arrivals, people without a U.S. credit history, and some older signers.

Your options: a mobile notary in person, a notary local to you, or, for signers abroad, a U.S. embassy or consulate notary. We'll help you pick.

Wills, trusts and other estate documents

Florida allows online witnessing, with extra protections. They apply to wills, revocable trusts with testamentary provisions, health care advance directives, agreements waiving spousal rights, and powers of attorney that grant banking or investment powers. Before the session, the signer is asked three questions: are you under the influence of drugs or alcohol that impairs your decisions, do you have a condition or disability that impairs normal daily activities, and do you need help with daily care. If any answer is yes, the witnesses must be physically in the room. During the call the notary asks more questions, such as who helped prepare the documents and who is in the room. Remote witnesses must live in and be physically located in the United States.

Because the rules are strict and the stakes are high, talk to your attorney before signing estate documents online.

Does online notarization replace a mobile notary?

Sometimes. It is fast when you have an accepted ID, a camera, and a document the receiving office will take electronically. It doesn't fit when:

• The receiving office requires an original ink signature or in-person notarization.
• The signer can't complete the ID check.
• The signer would need physically present witnesses.

See our online notary service, or answer three questions to check which one fits.