For anyone who knows the pain of having to look for a public notary, you may be interested in the new Notarize app that just hit the App Store today. Users can actually get documents legally notarized conveniently from the iPhone. Here’s how it works:
Thanks to a law passed in 2011 by the state of Virginia, certified Virginian notaries can complete remote notarization using live video calls. Notarize takes advantage of this and other related laws to create a seamless notarization process. Without having to search for or wait in lines for public notaries, users can quickly notarize documents from anywhere with an iPhone and an Internet connection.
Here’s how Notarize explains it:
Notarize is the first on-demand remote, electronic notary service valid in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia. In 2011, the Commonwealth of Virginia passed Senate Bill 827 and House Bill 2318, allowing appropriately certified Virginia notaries to complete remote notarization via live video call.
Furthermore, a document remotely notarized in Virginia is valid across state lines due to the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the United States Constitution and state laws that specifically address and accept out of state notarizations. Notarize leverages these and other laws to offer people and businesses the ability to legally notarize documents electronically, from anywhere.
Notarize simplifies the notarization process by allowing users to upload their own documents over email, cloud services like Dropbox, or any app that supports iOS document sharing. Each document notarization costs $25, and both public and private institutions will accept documents notarized out-of-state. Notarize even provides a contact email just in case they don’t.
Once the document has been uploaded, Notarize users prove their identity by taking a picture of a government issued photo ID. Then utilizing Confirm’s ID verification system, documents can be validated within seconds. After that, the users are connected over live video (similar to a FaceTime or Skype video call) to the notary agent where they are assisted the rest of the way.
Notarize is available for free in the App Store and is compatible with iPhones on iOS 8 and higher. Notary services through the application are available in all 50 states, and Notarize has set up a thorough FAQ as well.
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Pricey, but I imagine this would come in handy if I needed something notarized and I didn’t have time to go to my bank.
gee – they must be launching this thing with a lot overhead to charge $ 25 per form – might come handy if you are desperate
Considering that as a Notary, I can only charge $2.50 per notarization – That’s a lot of $$$ to pay for convenience.
YMMV
What sate? It seem much more expensive in California.
There legal basis for it being accepted in other states is the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the US Constitution? Are you kidding me? Did you have a high school student do your legal due diligence. More often than not, notaries are limited to only notarize documents within their jurisdiction. Furthermore, the level of documenting a notary must do varies greatly between states. I smell a lawsuit brewing. This won’t be in the app store next month.
Notarize has received millions of dollars in seed money…I think they might have, I don’t know, used some of that to hire lawyers…Just maybe!
The Full Faith and Credit Clause does not apply. Generally speaking, for documents that really need a notary to sign them, you can not have a notary outside of the jurisdiction sign them. This seems like they did not consult a lawyer, and thus do their research, before launching this product.
I get free notary services at any Wells Fargo branch. Why would I pay $25 per document if all I have to do is to stop by a WF branch and ask?
I do too through my bank, but the problem is, that when you actually NEED a notary, it’s always on a weekend of after hours, or some other time when either you can’t get to the bank or if you can, you don’t have the time to wait in line.
At least that’s how it was for me, in the past, when I have needed notary service.
This app solves that problem entirely…I think it’s a great idea, and I certainly would have used it in the past, had it been available.
The price is easily made up by the amount of time it would have saved me.
I think this is a great idea. Even though $25 is a bit pricey, especially if you have several documents, this is much easier than lugging your documents to a notary who may or may not have convenient hours or location. The in person notaries that offer 24/7 and in home/in office visits all charge more. I would think having the session recorded would also make it more secure (would make sense even for regular notarizations).
Sorry but if I use this service every time I need to renew passports for my kids (non US passports) it would cost me a fortune just in notary services. As I said, you can walk into any Wells Fargo branch and someone working there will be a notary and will be happy to notarize all your documents for FREE!!!! I never ever spent a penny when needed to notarize documents.
My local bank provides notary services to me for free. That’s a much better price. And they have free coffee too.
There is a price for convenience, and I would have gladly paid this for when I needed it. As with everything, perceived value and what your time is worth is everything.
What a great idea! Notary’s are ridiculously hard to get ahold of on weekends and after hours. I wish they would have had this back when I needed a notary and I could not find one.
I always need something notarized at 3 am on a Saturday.
(I’m also a CA notary -I would be very surprised to learn if any bank or government agency in CA would accept an electronic notarization)
Hey, Adam Pase, COO of Notarize here. There have been a few questions about legal standing and we’d like to provide some clarity. As suggested above, we have performed an exhaustive legal review at great expense. Furthermore, we have also worked closely with the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Attorney General’s office to ensure our service not only meets the letter of the law, but the spirit. Every electronic notary in VA has to be approved on the particular platform they use. All of our agents are certified eNotaries specifically for our platform and we issue valid notarizations. We take further steps beyond what’s required to ensure our notaries undergo background checks, carry professional liability insurance, and receive additional training. We do this to ensure our customers have a great experience. Someone mentioned out-of-state acceptance, particularly in CA. CA already accepts out of state notarizations every day pursuant to Section 1189(b) of the California Civil Code, which states that “Any certificate of acknowledgement taken in another place shall be sufficient in this state if it is taken in accordance with the laws of the place where the acknowledgement is made.” We have identified similar laws for every state. Additionally, in 2013, Virginia issued the eNotarization Assurance Standard specifically to ensure acceptance of documents notarized by Virginia eNotaries for out of state customers in each state and worldwide. This standard can be found here: https://commonwealth.virginia.gov/media/2090/VAe-NotarizationStandard2013Version10.pdf. Unfortunately, California notaries, and notaries from states other than Virginia, are not currently permitted to participate on our platform under their state laws. Thanks all and we’re extremely excited to bring the notarization business into the 21st century!