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Oregon Secretary of State Corporation Division

Remote and Electronic Notarization FAQs

Remote Online Notarization (RON)

Remote online notarization is the ability to perform notarial acts using audio/video technology for remotely located individuals under certain circumstances using vendors meeting specific requirements.

​Electronic notarization involves documents that are signed in electronic form; the certificate and journal are also electronic, but the signer must appear in front of the notary in person.

Remote online notarization allows for the entire notarization to be performed online; the signer does not have to appear before the notary in person.​

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The maximum fee for remote notarizations is $25.​​

This varies depending on the platform: they may charge by the month, the year, or the transaction, and amounts will vary. You should research possible platforms before committing to any, to be sure that you understand costs and other details such as who is responsible for retaining the recordings of RONs. Some platforms require that you have a certain amount of coverage for Errors and Omissions insurance.​​

Vendor requirements for Oregon remote notarization can be found at OAR OAR 160-100-0805 and OAR 160-100-0855​. Under OAR 160-100-0140​, the notary may rely on a vendor’s declaration that the vendor’s technology meets the National Electronic Notarization Standards. Keep documentation of their declaration in case an issue arises.

The notary must be in Oregon, because that is where they are commissioned. The signer may be anywhere, as long as the requirements for properly performed RON are met.​​

An electronic journal is required for remote notarizations, and it will normally be provided by the vendor platform. The electronic journal entry will include an electronic signature from the signer. It is a best practice to also record the RON in your paper journal, writing “remote notarization” in the signature portion of the journal entry. Remember, the same retention schedule applies to your electronic journal as to your paper journal: the journal must be kept for 10 years from the date of the last transaction.​​

The remote notarization changes to statute are part of HB 4212A​ and the process for notifying the Secretary of State as well as system requirements can be found in OAR 160-100-0140 through 160-100-0215​​.

The Oregon Secretary of State provides training in RON requirements and procedure. Learn more about the training and register for it here​​.

In addition, vendors who provide RON technology will provide training in how to use their platforms.

​Yes, if the document was notarized properly.​​

Currently, the Oregon Secretary of State is unable to attach apostilles to electronic documents. However, the document may be printed out and apostilled provided the notary completes and attaches a certificate for special circumstances, which is available here​​.

This certificate indicates that the document is a printout of an electronic document.

No. Standard videoconferencing applications do not meet Secretary of State requirements for RON. Vendor platforms will provide appropriate software for secure audio and video recording of the notarization; this may include Zoom or a similar resource, but these programs may only be used as directed within the vendor platform.​​

Yes. Guidance on when and how to do this will be provided by the RON platform, and should be addressed in the training materials provided by the vendor.​​

The signer’s identity will be verified through the RON platform. Usually the signer will be required to upload a high-quality image of an identification document that meets the requirements under ORS 194.240, and to successfully complete a Knowledge-Based-Authentication (KBA) process. Some vendors use biometrics. The specific processes used by your RON platform will be explained in their training. You may also be required to undergo these verifications when signing on to the platform to provide RONs.​​

Yes. You can contact the Secretary of State Corporation Division at 503-986-2200 or by email corporationdivision.sos@sos.oregon.gov​. They also maintain a list of notaries authorized to perform RON and IPEN​. This list doesn’t include all notaries that are authorized, only those who opt in to have their information included.

In Person Electronic Notarization (IPEN)

IPEN is notarizing an electronic document while the signer is present before the notary

This varies depending on the platform: they may charge you by the month, the year, or the transaction, and amounts will vary. You should research possible platforms before committing to any, to be sure that they meet Secretary of State requirements and that you understand costs and other details.​​

​The fees are the same as for traditional notarization: the maximum fee is $10. You may charge an additional travel fee, provided the customer agrees to it in advance.​​

​The primary difference is that the documents are all electronic, and there is an electronic journal and certificate to be filled out. There is no paper involved in electronic notarization unless the document has to be printed after the notarization. ​​

​No. The authorization to perform electronic notarizations is optional. ​​

  1. ​Research vendors to find one whose technology meets National Electronic Notarization Standards (NENS), and whose terms of use are acceptable to you.
  2. Check to see if your vendor will provide an electronic journal; if they do not, you may wish to keep one. OAR 160-100-0210​​ describes the requirements for an electronic journal..
  3. Complete the Electronic Notarization Notice form​​ on our website. It is free to file.

​Find more information about the standards here. Under OAR 160-100-0140​​, the notary may rely on a vendor’s declaration that the vendor’s technology meets the National Electronic Notarization Standards. Keep documentation of their declaration in case an issue arises.

​Yes. All of the rules for traditional notarization apply, including that the signer must appear before you in person. It is only permissible for the signer to be elsewhere if you are performing a Remote Online Notarization (RON), a different process.​​

​Yes. You are required by law to keep a journal. You may use an electronic journal if the vendor platform provides one, or you may record IPEN notarizations with your traditional notarizations, in a paper journal. Remember, the same retention schedule applies to your electronic journal as a paper journal: t​he journal must be kept for 10 years from the date of the last transaction.​

​The signer signs the same way they sign the document. For instance, if the signature is handwritten on the document – paper or electronic – then the signature in the journal must be handwritten even if using a digital pad. If the signer uses a digital signature on the electronic document, then a digital signature should be made in the electronic journal. Either way, you should compare the signature on the journal with the one in the document (and the one on the ID) to make sure that they are reasonably similar.​​

​The notarial certificate is the same for paper and electronic. However, it’s not unusual for electronic notarization technology to include additional information to make verification easier and the electronic nature of the original document more evident.​​