What a letter means
Letters are category judgments. They come from three facts.
- The state’s rule for remote online notarization (RON). That is a video session with a notary.
- What the company prints about hours, ID checks, extras, and how long it keeps a file.
- The product type. RON is video. A mobile notary is a person who drives to you. A walk-in is a bank or UPS counter.
They are not averages of app-store stars. They are not lab measurements. We would rather publish a careful C with a citation than a precise 8.4 we cannot defend.
| Band | Availability | Identity check | Session record |
|---|---|---|---|
| A–B | Printed as open all day and night. Or open all night online, plus a clearly separate house-call product. | Printed ID steps on the video call. We have not lab-tested pass rates, so A is reserved. | A printed keep time measured in years (for example NotaryLive’s 10-year document storage; BlueNotary’s at-least-10-year journal and recording help article). |
| C | A booked house call. Or mixed: open all night online plus a booked visit. | Show ID in person. Or a video flow whose ID steps are not printed on the page we retrieved. | A video recording exists, but years are not printed on the consumer page (Proof/Notarize pricing page we retrieved). |
| D–F | Lobby or store hours only. A Sunday-night document does not get a teller. | Not used as a fail for walk-in. In-person ID is a different stack, not an automatic F. | A written logbook and no session video. Or a printed keep time measured in days (OneNotary consumer plan: 7 days). |
The state letter that is not a company grade
An in-state commission is a notary license from that same state. On a state page we also print whether a notary with that license can perform RON. That letter comes from the state’s commissioning page when we have it: Secretary of State, Department of State, Department of Licensing, or Georgia’s clerk authority. Country context comes from the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) and the National Notary Association (NNA). Proof’s vendor map is a labeled secondary count. It is not the source of truth.
- NASS: 47 states + DC have a law that allows remote e-notarization. A law on the books is not the same as that state’s own notaries being allowed to use it today.
- NNA notes for notaries: Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina have not passed video-notary laws. Alabama and Connecticut have remote laws for printed, ink-signed documents only. California and Massachusetts have statutes, but their own notaries cannot perform RON yet. Signers there can still use an out-of-state video notary for most document types. Connecticut’s real-estate-closing block is called out. We do not smooth it over.
- Arizona: a notary commissioned in Arizona may perform remote online notarization after notifying the Secretary of State and receiving written remote-online authorization. A regular Arizona notary without that authorization still needs to be in the room. Electronic notarization (eNotary) is a different product: an electronic seal while the signer is still physically present. Audiovisual recordings are kept at least five years. Arizona SOS Notary and Remote & eNotary pages; A.R.S. §§ 41-263, 41-268, 41-316; Ariz. Admin. Code R2-12-1102, R2-12-1302, R2-12-1305.
- California: a person in California can use an out-of-state video notary now. California notaries cannot perform RON until the Secretary of State technology project is live, or 1 January 2030, whichever is earlier. SOS customer alert, October 24, 2023.
- Texas: a notary commissioned in Texas may perform RON if that notary also holds an Online Notary Public commission. A regular electronic notarization still requires both people in the same room. SOS getting-started and educational pages; Subchapter C, Chapter 406, Texas Government Code.
- Florida: a notary commissioned in Florida may perform RON if that notary separately registered as an Online Notary Public with the Department of State. A regular Florida notary without that signup still needs to be in the room. Journal and video recordings are kept at least 10 years. DOS Remote Online Notary Public page; F.S. 117.209, 117.225, 117.245, 117.265, 117.275, 117.295; Rule 1N-7.
- Georgia: a notary commissioned in Georgia cannot perform RON. NNA lists Georgia as not allowed (updated July 1, 2026). The Clerk of Superior Court issues a four-year commission. GSCCCA keeps the statewide list. A person in Georgia can still use an out-of-state video notary. O.C.G.A. § 45-17-8.1 is the ink-and-date certificate rule, not an electronic-seal statute. GSCCCA Georgia Notary Law and General Notary Information.
- Illinois: remote notarization (a printed document plus a physical notary seal over live audio-video) is available to a notary appointed under the Illinois Notary Public Act. Electronic notarization, the e-seal session most people mean by RON, needs a separate Electronic Notary Public commission and an SOS-certified system. A regular Illinois notary cannot run that platform product without the extra commission. Electronic journal and video recordings are kept at least 7 years. Illinois SOS Notary Services; 5 ILCS 312/2-102, 2-105, 6-102.5, 6A-104; 14 Ill. Admin. Code Part 176.
- Maryland: a notary commissioned in Maryland may perform remote online notarization after notifying the Secretary of State on the remote-notary notification form. Maryland does not issue a separate Online Notary Public commission. Electronic records need an authorized remote online notary vendor. Tangible records can use other communication technology when identity is personal knowledge or a credible witness. A regular Maryland notary who never filed that notice still needs to be in the room. Electronic notarization is a different product: an electronic seal while the signer is still physically present. Audiovisual recordings are kept at least 10 years. Remote-act fee cap $30. Maryland SOS Remote Notary Information, Notary Division, and Notary FAQ pages; Md. Code, State Gov’t §§ 18-214, 18-223; COMAR 01.02.08.02, 01.02.08.07.
- Massachusetts: a notary commissioned in Massachusetts cannot perform remote online notarization tonight. St. 2023, c. 2, § 33 added G.L. c. 222, § 28, effective January 1, 2024. Before the first remote act the notary must register as a remote notary with the state secretary, name the technology, and finish any required training. The Secretary of the Commonwealth says the training and notification form are not yet available, so notaries should not use online remote platforms. NNA lists Massachusetts as allowing RON in the future. A person in Massachusetts can still use an out-of-state video notary. § 28(c) keeps wills, codicils, and electoral records off communication technology. Audiovisual recordings, once the path is live, are kept at least 10 years. Secretary of the Commonwealth Remote Online Notarization and Notary Public Information pages; G.L. c. 222, §§ 16, 22, 27, 28; Trial Court law-library page (July 17, 2026).
- Michigan: a notary commissioned in Michigan may perform remote online notarization after choosing a Secretary of State approved vendor and notifying the Office of the Great Seal so that vendor is on the notary’s profile before the first electronic or remote act. Michigan does not issue a separate remote commission. A regular Michigan notary who never filed that notice still needs to be in the room. Electronic notarization (e-Notarization) is a different product: an electronic seal while the signer is still physically present. Remote journal and audiovisual recordings are kept at least 10 years. Act fee cap $10. Michigan SOS Notary services page, March 2026 vendor list, and E-Notary and Remote Notary Guide; MCL 55.285, 55.286, 55.286b.
- New Jersey: a notary commissioned in New Jersey may perform remote online notarization after notifying the State Treasurer on the Notary Public Application portal before the first remote act and identifying the technologies. New Jersey does not issue a separate Online Notary Public commission. A regular New Jersey notary who never filed that notice still needs to be in the room. Electronic notarization is a different product: an electronic seal while the signer is still physically present, and that path needs its own Treasurer notice. Audiovisual recordings are kept at least 10 years. A printed will or codicil signed in ink has a special tangible-record remote path; the in-person electronic-seal path excludes wills, codicils, and testamentary trusts. Treasury Notary Public Law page, Notary Public Application portal, and Notary Public Manual (October 22, 2021); P.L. 2021, c. 179; N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10; N.J.A.C. 17:50-1.14, 17:50-1.16.
- New York: a notary commissioned in New York may perform RON after registering as an electronic notary with the Department of State. A regular New York notary without that signup still needs to be in the room. Once the e-notary license issues, the traditional license is cancelled. Audio-visual recordings are kept a minimum of 10 years. Wills, trusts, DNR-class decisions, and powers of attorney stay outside ESRA. DOS Notary FAQ; Executive Law § 135-c; State Technology Law § 307; 19 NYCRR Part 182.
- Ohio: a notary commissioned in Ohio may perform remote online notarization after a written online-notary authorization from the Secretary of State, a two-hour course and exam, and a $20 filing. A regular Ohio notary without that authorization still needs to be in the room. An in-person electronic seal is a different product and does not need that extra card. An online notary shall not take or certify a deposition as an online notarization. The notary keeps the journal and recording during the authorization; the Secretary of State or an approved repository then keeps the journal 10 years. Online-act fee cap $30 plus a $10 technology fee after House Bill 315 (April 3, 2025). Ohio SOS application-requirements page; R.C. §§ 147.08, 147.63, 147.64, 147.65; OAC Chapter 111:6-1.
- Pennsylvania: a notary commissioned in Pennsylvania may perform remote online notarization after notifying the Department of State and using an approved communication-technology platform. A regular Pennsylvania notary without that notice still needs to be in the room. Electronic notarization (e-notary) is a different product: an electronic seal while the signer is still physically present. Audiovisual recordings are kept at least 10 years. Act 97 of 2020, effective October 29, 2020, made remote online notarization permanent. Pennsylvania Department of State Electronic or Remote Notarization page; 57 Pa.C.S. § 306.1; Department notary fee schedule.
- Tennessee: a notary commissioned in Tennessee may perform remote online notarization if that notary also holds a separate Online Notary Public commission from the Secretary of State. A regular county notary without that second card still needs to be in the room. The SOS does not offer e-notaries as a product. E-notarization, as the SOS defines it, still needs the signer in the room. Audiovisual recordings and the electronic record are kept five years plus a backup. Online-act fee cap $25. Tennessee SOS Online Notary Public how-to and FAQs; Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 8-16-301, 8-16-306, 8-16-307, 8-16-308, 8-16-310, 8-16-311; Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1360-07-03.
- Virginia: a notary commissioned in Virginia may perform remote online notarization after registering as an electronic notary (eNotary) with the Secretary of the Commonwealth. A regular Virginia notary without that registration still needs to be in the room. Electronic notary registration is not the same as a plain commission. NASS: in 2011 Virginia became the first state to authorize remote electronic notarization. Audiovisual recordings and the electronic journal are kept at least five years. Electronic-act fee cap $25. Secretary of the Commonwealth eNotary page and 2026 Notary Handbook; Code of Virginia §§ 47.1-2, 47.1-6.1, 47.1-7, 47.1-14, 47.1-19.
- Washington: a notary commissioned in Washington may perform remote online notarization after two Department of Licensing endorsements: electronic records, then remote. A regular Washington notary without those endorsements still needs to be in the room. Electronic-records notarization is a different product: an electronic seal while the signer is still physically present. Audiovisual recordings and the tangible journal are kept at least 10 years. House Bill 2158 / 2026 c 21 adds a remote ink-signature path effective January 1, 2027. You sign a printed document in wet ink on a live video call, then mail or fax it. Washington DOL notary resources and license pages; RCW 42.45.180, 42.45.280; WAC 308-30-220.
We do not turn that map into a company A. A platform that staffs Pennsylvania and Florida notaries does not change California’s F for in-state RON. It does not replace the extra Texas online commission.
Prices
Official starting prices we cite, retrieved August 2026:
- NotaryLive about $25 per session (pricing).
- Proof/Notarize about $25 for the first notarization and $15 for each extra notarization (consumer pricing).
- OneNotary online about $25; mobile from about $80 (individuals pricing).
BlueNotary’s homepage lists a $10 on-demand witness. It does not print a consumer session price we can cite. We leave the cell empty rather than write $25 because the table looks lonely.
Walk-in counters and independent mobile notaries set their own prices. California publishes a statutory maximum for in-person notary acts. We link that idea. A UPS Store does not publish one national counter price.
Related guide: how a remote online notary works. The letters on this page do not override a state rule that takes a document off the call.
Related guide: how to notarize a document. The letters on this page are not a price. Pick a video call, a mobile notary, or a walk-in first.
What this page does not claim
- Unsourced “average wait time” or “number of notaries” presented as our audit.
- A single blended score that hides a file-keeping D behind a pretty all-night A.
- Star ratings dressed up as a lab score. We do not ship fake stars.