Illinois remote ink notarization (RIN): ink on paper, notary on video

RIN or electronic notarization: which one is it

Illinois has two ways to notarize someone who is not in the room. They use different commissions, different paper, and different rules about where people sit. Our Illinois scorecard grades the video companies. This page covers the ink path.

The ink path is set out in 5 ILCS 312/6-102.5, titled “Remote notarial acts.” The electronic path is in 5 ILCS 312/6A-104. People search for “rin notary” because a $25 checkout on a national platform is almost always the electronic kind, and a local Illinois notary who offers a video appointment is often offering RIN.

Who can do a remote ink notarization

The statute says any commissioned notary public may perform any notarial act in Section 6-102 remotely. That covers acknowledgments and oaths. No second commission is needed for the ink path.

Both sides have to agree to it. 14 Ill. Admin. Code 176.700 says a remote notary may act only if the notary and the remotely located signer agree to do it that way. A notary can say no and ask you to come in.

Identity works the way it does in person. Under the statute, the notary must be satisfied you are the person named in the document, by personal knowledge, a credible witness, or a government-issued ID with your photo and signature. Section 176.710 of the rules lets you present that ID remotely. It also lets a credible witness appear remotely, as long as everyone can communicate over the audio-video link. The rules say nothing prevents a notary from adding a stronger identity check.

The signer must be in Illinois

This is the rule that rules RIN out for many people. Section 6-102.5(b)(3) says the signer must attest to being physically located in Illinois during the call. If you are in another state, RIN is not your product, even with an Illinois notary and an Illinois document.

If you are outside Illinois, look at a video notary commissioned for electronic acts, either in Illinois or in another state. The Illinois page lists where an Illinois electronic signer may be, and how the receiving office decides whether to accept an out-of-state act. The general walkthrough of a video session is on how a remote online notary works.

Step by step

Here is the order the statute sets. Ask the notary to confirm each step before the call, because the mail-back is where most RIN jobs stall.

1. Book and agree. Confirm the notary offers remote ink notarization and agrees to do your document that way.
2. Print the document. Fill in every blank except the signature. Have your ID ready.
3. Join a live call. The statute calls for live, two-way audio-video that lets you and the notary see, hear, and talk to each other in real time.
4. Say where you are. You attest on the call that you are physically in Illinois.
5. Show the document. You name the document and show each page so the notary can read it.
6. Sign on camera. The signing has to be visible to the notary, up close.
7. Send it the next day at the latest. You send a complete, legible copy of the signed document straight to the notary by overnight mail, fax, or electronic means, no later than the day after you sign.
8. The notary signs and returns it. The statute tells the notary to sign the copy you sent and send it back within 24 hours of receiving it, by the same kinds of transmission.
9. The original, if needed. If the original also needs the notary’s signature, the notary may sign it as of the date you signed, as long as the notary gets the original together with the signed copy within 30 days of the remote notarization.

What to bring and how to fill in the document is on what do you need to get something notarized.

Who keeps the recording

The call must be recorded. For RIN, Section 6-102.5(b)(2) puts the duty on you: the recording must be kept by the signer or the signer’s designee for at least 3 years. Ask who will press record and where the file will live. If the notary’s software records it, ask for a copy or ask the notary to act as your designee.

Under Section 176.710, the recording must be made available on request to a list of people and offices, including the signer, the Secretary of State, law enforcement, and the notary.

The electronic path is different. Under 6A-104 the electronic notary keeps the recording for at least 7 years, even if the act was never finished. Why we grade the session record at all is on the methodology page.

What the certificate says

A remote ink certificate has to show it was done by video. 14 Ill. Admin. Code 176.730 says the certificate complies if it is in the form the law provides and contains a statement substantially like this one:

“This remote notarization involved the use of audio-video technology.”

The same section gives short forms. For an individual acknowledgment it reads: “The foregoing instrument was acknowledged before me using audio-video technology on (date) by (name).” For an oath it reads: “Signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me using audio-video technology on (date) by (name).” There is also a form for someone signing as an officer or trustee.

An electronic certificate uses different wording, because 6A-104 says it must indicate the act was performed by audio-video communication. Both versions are side by side on the Illinois scorecard. If you are not sure which certificate fits your document, the difference between an acknowledgment and an oath is on what is a jurat.

When RIN is the wrong choice

• You are not in Illinois. The signer must attest to being in Illinois.
• You need it today. The act is not finished until the notary gets your copy, signs it, and sends it back. Overnight mail adds days. An electronic session ends with a finished file.
• The receiving office wants an electronic file. RIN produces paper. Ask the office which one it takes before you book.
• The receiving office wants the signer in the room. Some do. Then you need a mobile notary or a walk-in counter.
• You cannot keep the recording. If you have no way to store a video file for 3 years, settle that with the notary before the call.

How an electronic notary differs from a video session in other states is on electronic notary vs remote online notary.

Next step

If you are in Illinois and the receiving office takes ink, ask a local Illinois notary for a remote ink appointment and go through the steps above. If you want a finished electronic document in one session, compare the video notaries on the Illinois scorecard, or start with the buttons below, ordered by grade.