The Governor’s signature on Senate Bill 841, on April 20, authorized the use of remote notarization technology to complete notarial acts when the notary and the signer are not in the same physical location. Agent service providers under contract with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) CANNOT use their online provider’s software to perform remote online notarizations.

The change in the law will enable vehicle dealers to obtain their customers’ signatures on motor vehicle paperwork without requiring any face-to-face interaction with the signers.

Online titling and registration software (for example, DealerTrack, Title-N-Go, and CVR) does not support the performance of online notarizations; the software is only an interface between PennDOT’s system and the agent service provider, to submit motor vehicle transactions to PennDOT electronically.

To become a RON-enabled notary public, you must have a current notary commission, make application for RON status with the Department of State, choose one or more RON software providers from the DOS’s approved list of vendors, and set up the software through the vendor(s) of your choice.

Note that Senate Bill 841 enables remote notarizations for up to 60 days after the Governor’s declaration of disaster emergency is lifted or expires.