Alabama remote notary: a video call, an ink signature, and seven years of recording

The rule in one section

Alabama’s remote appearance rule is Ala. Code § 36-20-73.1. It says a person may personally appear before an acknowledging notary either in person or by two-way audio-video technology, under the section’s conditions. Our Alabama scorecard grades the companies. This page reads the section.

We read the 2022 text on Justia. Act 2023-548 later rewrote parts of the notary law, and our reading of it keeps the same core remote rule: the notary in Alabama, a seven-year recording, and the two-ID check.

Who has to be where

• The notary must be physically located in Alabama, and must say so on the recording.
• You may be somewhere else. The section does not require the signer to be in Alabama.

Compare that with Illinois, where the signer on the ink path must attest to being in Illinois. See Illinois remote ink notarization.

How your identity is checked

The notary must use one of two methods:

1. The notary knows you personally.
2. You present two valid government-issued IDs, one of which shows your face and signature, and the notary also uses a process that verifies your identity through public or private data sources.

Tennessee, for comparison, asks for one ID plus credential analysis and identity proofing. If you have only a driver’s license, ask the notary before the call what second ID they will take. The recording must also show a clear image of any government ID used. What counts as ID in person is on what do you need to get something notarized.

The signature is ink

Section 36-20-73.1 defines the original signature as a wet-ink signature placed directly on the document by the named person. The documents used in the session must be given to the notary for authentication and the original signing. The official date and time of the notarization is when the notary witnessed the signature, including over video.

In practice, that means a paper step after the call. Ask the notary how they want the signed pages delivered, and how long it takes, before you book. If you need a finished electronic file in one session, Alabama’s rule is not built for that. A video platform using a notary commissioned in another state may be, if the receiving office accepts it. See is an online notarization valid in my state.

The recording

The two-way audio-video call must be recorded and kept for seven years by the notary. The section lists what the recording must show:

• the date and time,
• a description of the documents,
• the notary’s statement of being in Alabama,
• how your identity was verified,
• a clear image of any government ID used, and
• a clear image of the signing.

Seven years is the same period Illinois sets for its electronic notaries, and longer than the five years in Tennessee. Why the record matters to our grades is on the methodology page.

What it cannot be used for

The section bars remote notarization for absentee ballot applications or affidavits, or for any other voting-related purpose. A notary who intentionally or fraudulently violates the section commits a Class C misdemeanor.

Who commissions Alabama notaries

Act 2023-548 describes commissioning by the probate judge of the applicant’s county, raises the commission fee to $25 with a $10 application fee, and adds a training program for applicants and for existing notaries at renewal, with attorneys exempt. If you want to check a notary’s commission, start with the probate office in the notary’s county, and see how to check a notary’s commission.

Before you book an Alabama remote session

1. Ask the receiving office whether it accepts an Alabama remote notarization, and whether it wants the ink original.
2. Confirm the notary is in Alabama for the call.
3. Have two government IDs ready, one with your photo and signature.
4. Print the document, fill in everything except the signature, and agree on how the signed pages reach the notary.

If that is too many steps, a mobile notary can finish the same document in one visit.

Next step

Compare the options for an Alabama signer on the Alabama scorecard. If the receiving office takes a remote act from another state’s notary, the buttons below are video notaries, ordered by grade.