"California law requires a person to appear personally before a Notary Public to obtain notarial acts like acknowledgments or jurats," Bowen said in the message posted on her Web site February 24, 2011. "This means the party must be physically present before the Notary Public." Bowen went on to say that video images or other forms of non-physical representation do not meet personal appearance requirements before a Notary under current state or federal laws.
The full text of Secretary Bowen's statement follows:
Customer Alert - Online Notarization Services Are Not Legal In California
Online webcam notarization is invalid and illegal in the State of California.
A private company claims to have the first online notarization website
and has sent misleading information and made false claims to California
Notaries Public concerning a new online notarization service. The
web-based platform purports to allow a person to submit copies of
identification over the Internet and to use a webcam in lieu of a
personal appearance in front of a Notary Public. Appearance via webcam does not meet the requirements for notarization in California.
California Notaries Public are authorized under current law to perform
electronic notarizations as long as all the requirements for a
traditional paper-based notarial act are met, including the use of a
seal for all but two specific documents used in real estate
transactions. California law requires a person to appear personally
before a notary public to obtain notarial acts like acknowledgments or
jurats. This means the party must be physically present before the
Notary Public. A video image or other form of non-physical
representation is not a personal appearance in front of a notary public
under current state or federal laws. The technology solution offered by
this private company does not comply with California law. Article from NNA Bulletin March 2, 2011.
Comments for Customer Alert - Online Notarization Services Are Illegal In Californa
There are no comments yet.