What Is Remote Online Notarization?
Remote online notarization — RON, or virtual notarization — is a notarization done over a live audio-video connection instead of across a table.
Everything a notary does in person still happens. I check your identification, confirm you’re signing willingly, administer the oath if the document needs one, and complete the notarial certificate. The difference is the room.
Idaho has allowed this since January 1, 2020, under Idaho Code 51-114A. It isn’t a workaround or a grey area — it’s a notarial act with its own rules, and those rules are stricter than the ones for signing in person.
One thing worth saying plainly: I notarize signatures. I don’t draft documents and I don’t give legal advice. If you need that, you need a lawyer.
What You’ll Need Before We Start
Read this before you book. It saves everybody a reschedule.
- Your document as a PDF. Fill in everything except the signature, then save it as a PDF and send it ahead.
- A valid government-issued photo ID — driver’s license or passport. It has to be current. An expired ID fails the check and there’s nothing I can do on my end.
- U.S. citizenship and a Social Security number. The identity quiz is built from U.S. credit and public records, so it needs both.
- A phone, tablet or computer with a camera. Phones work now — that changed, and a lot of notary sites haven’t caught up. What matters is the connection: a steady 3 Mbps or better, and wifi beats cell data.
- One device per signer. Two people signing means two devices, even on the same couch.
There’s no app and nothing to install. Your browser does the whole thing — Chrome works best, Safari and Firefox are fine, and that goes for your phone as well as your laptop.
Who Uses Online Notarization in Idaho
Americans living or working overseas. This is the biggest group I serve online. My commission only reaches Idaho’s borders, but the law lets me act for someone who isn’t in the room — so I stay in Idaho and you can be in Guadalajara, Frankfurt or Seoul. If you’re outside the U.S., the document needs a U.S. connection: a U.S. court or agency, a U.S. company, or property here. If yours is also headed abroad, you’ll likely need an apostille afterward, and I handle that too.
Escrow and title officers. Hand off the file and it comes back signed the same day, with no overnight package to track. Seller packages work particularly well this way — see how I run RON seller packages, or read a closing we did entirely online.
Attorneys with a client who can’t travel. You handle the drafting; I handle a calm, correct signing. I work with law offices across the Valley and out of state.
Families handling documents for a parent. Sometimes online is right, sometimes it isn’t. If your mother is in a hospital bed, don’t force it — I’ll drive to her instead. And for wills, trusts and powers of attorney, check with the attorney first. Some institutions still want wet ink and witnesses in the room.
