mollyfamwatSuppose you have been in an instance that required you to get your documents notarized. In that case, you may have encountered several terms like Remote Online Notary, Mobile Notary, Traditional Public Notary, and Electronic Notary. You may have been confused about the difference between these terms. These forms of notaries have significant differences but the same end goal. However, to comprehend these forms of notarization, you need to be familiar with the role of a notary public. A notary public is a state government official who witnesses vital documents signing while deterring fraud. A traditional notary public may be located at shipping stores, legal offices, and a bank.
Comprehending a Remote Notary/ Online Notary
A remote notary locally referred to as an online notary, offers notarization services online. The notarization process takes place online, meaning that all the concerned parties have to be present via video or audio but don’t need to be in the same room to witness the notarization. The COVID-19 pandemic may have accelerated the growth in the popularity of online notaries due to travel restrictions. However, the advancement in technology and accessibility to the internet globally would have still made this form of notary popular. At first, the remote online notarization process may look confusing, but once you understand it, you’ll see how easy and convenient it is. You need to follow four simple steps to notarize your document. First, you must upload the document, complete identity verification, connect with the participants, and then download and print the copy. Additionally, you can conduct this process at any time of the day, including at night. Gone are the days of burning energy and time trying to locate a “notary near me.”
Comprehending a Mobile Notary
As the term suggests, a mobile notary can oversee the signing of documents anywhere. Mobile notaries save you the struggle of guessing their current location as they come to where you are. However, you’re bound to incur additional travel-related expenses to receive their services. One aspect differentiating a mobile notary and other forms of notaries is that you need to schedule an appointment and agree on convenience fees and traveling costs before the notarization day. These notaries also have no fixed offices or a head office, meaning that getting in contact with a mobile notary may be a little more hectic than hiring an electronic or traditional notary public.
What you should know about an Electronic Notary
Electronic notarization involves notarizing important documents while all the concerned parties gather in the same location or room. Instead of using ink to sign the signature to the documents, the notary public places a tamper evidence seal on the document such that any unauthorized attempts to tamper with the document are evident. One aspect differentiating electronic notarization from remote notarization is that the procedure does not occur remotely, meaning that all the concerned parties have to gather in the same location to witness the notarization. Although electronic notarization guarantees better document security, you may still undergo some of the difficulties associated with a traditional and mobile notary.
The difference between electronic and online notarization
You may still be wondering if electronic notarization is similar to online notarization. The only difference is that the participants can be in separate locations during an online notarization. In contrast, during an electronic notarization process, the signer and the notary must be in the same place. Although these two notary forms utilize the same technology, they are different; all online notaries can be electronic notaries, but not all electronic notaries can be online notaries. An online notary is undeniably more convenient as the process could not be more inexpensive and simpler. Neither party has to leave the comfort of their office or home or interfere with their daily schedule to converge for notarization. While electronic notarizations have been around for over a decade, many states legally approved mobile notarization in 2011.
When looking to notarize your documents, you may wonder what form of a notary to trust. These notaries may involve different procedures but have the same end goal. Before choosing a notary, gauge the advantages and disadvantages of these notaries to ensure you have ample time during notarization.
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