Introduction to international online notarization.
Notarization is a process that has been around for centuries, used to verify the authenticity of documents and signatures. In recent years, with the advent of digital technologies, notarization has gone online. If you are traveling abroad or living outside of the United States, online notarization may be your best or only option.
Some benefits of international remote online notarization are:
- It offers greater flexibility. You can have your documents notarized from anywhere in the world, at any time of day or night.
- It can save time and money. Notarizing documents online is faster and more convenient than traditional methods, such as meeting in person with a notary public.
- It is more secure than traditional notarization. Remote online notarization adds an extra layer of authentication to your documents by making them tamper-proof.
This can be particularly important with sensitive or high-value transactions. - It is fast, easy, and affordable.
Historic barriers to international online notarization.
Identity-Proofing with Knowledge Based Authentication KBA
Notary law in Florida used to require that a signer’s identity be verified by a third-party analysis of the signer’s identity credentials and through an identity-proofing process known as “Knowledge Based Authentication” or KBA as it is commonly called.
To satisfy KBA, the signer would be required to pass a multiple-choice test consisting of five or more questions that only the signer should know the answers to. The tests are timed, and signers are locked out after two minutes. Remote online notary providers still using KBA, require their customers to have a 3–5-year U.S. credit history. The data in the signer’s credit history is searched to find sufficient information to generate the KBA test.
To have a U.S. credit history, a signer must have a social security number. But since non-US citizens do not have social security numbers, they are disqualified from using online notarization. Even if a signer has a social security number, as many U.S. legal residents do for work purposes, most do not have credit histories sufficient to pass KBA.
Credential Analysis
Most online notary providers limit the type of identification credential that a signer may use. In the early days of online notarization, only a state issued driver’s license would suffice. Later, U.S. passports were added to the list of accepted credentials. This meant that non-U.S. citizens living outside of the United States could not enjoy the convenance and security of online notarization for their personal, business, and legal matters.
Updated laws and innovative technology make international notarization easy for everyone.
In 2022, the State of Florida updated its notary laws, which added a second option to the identity proofing requirement. In addition to KBA, Florida online notaries may invest in third-party biometric and credential analysis technologies and finally break free of the rusty chains of KBA.
Instead of being restricted to only accepting U.S. driving licenses and U.S. passports, Florida now permits notaries to use foreign passports for online notarization, even ones that are not stamped by USCIS. that are not stamped by the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Our Florida notaries now accept over 10,000 different forms of identification credentials from over two hundred countries. Our identity-proofing process is fast and easy, with most users completing their ID verification with their smartphones in under two minutes.
Remote online notarization (RON) laws vary by state, and procedures and requirements vary by company.
Some U.S. states permit online notarization, some do not. Some states have permanent RON laws, while others continue to operate under temporary authority granted during the COVID pandemic.
As a result of the disparities, you will see companies advertise bizarre procedures and requirements for international notarizations. One of the most archaic we have seen is a requirement that a signer sign paper documents with a pen while the online notary watches on camera. Signers are then required to scan, or sometimes mail the ink-signed documents to the online notary. There is a better way.
Online notarization for U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad outside of the United States.
For U.S. citizens outside of the United States with access to a reliable high-speed Internet connection, the process is fast and easy. All you need is a tablet, smart phone, or computer with a working camera and microphone. Make an appointment using our online notarization intake portal.
International online notarization for foreign nationals (non-U.S. citizens).
Our team of certified online notaries who can provide services to qualified non-U.S. citizens anywhere in the world. All you need is a high-speed Internet connection, a device with a webcam and microphone, and your government issued identification credential.
We can notarize most any type of document, but the document must have some relationship to a personal or business matter within the United States.
Questions?
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