Notice
Our office will be closed on Friday, July 3 in observance of Independence Day.
Our office will be closed on Friday, July 3 in observance of Independence Day.
The notary statement needs to reflect the date you completed the notary act, which in this example is 6/15/20XX. You may not use a date in the past.
You may notarize a document from another state if your customer appears before you in Pennsylvania and the notary wording (certificate of notarial act) meets Pennsylvania RULONA standards.
You must be able to communicate with your customer directly in a language you both understand or indirectly through an interpreter. The interpreter must be able to communicate directly with you and your customer.
The document in a foreign language must be accompanied by an English translation, including the notary wording, for you to notarize. The person performing the translation must make a verification on oath or affirmation stating that the translation is accurate and complete. Once notarized, the English translation and the verification must be attached to the foreign language document.
The state and county named in the venue show where you are when you notarize a document. You may notarize in any of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.
You must examine the document for notary wording that indicates a notarization is required. If there is no notary wording, do not notarize.
Instructions for obtaining an apostille can be found on the Pennsylvania Department of State website.
If you place your signature and official stamp on the document one time, only one journal entry is required, regardless of how many signatures are notarized.
No, each notarization requires a separate journal entry. Every time you sign and place your official stamp you are required to make a separate and complete journal entry.
If a power of attorney is signed by mark or by another individual on behalf of the signer, the signature must be witnessed by two individuals who are 18 or older. (20 Pa.C.S. Section 5601)
On other documents signed with non-standard signatures, the best practice is to have two witnesses.
When you change jobs, you must take your stamp and journal with you.
RULONA Section 318(a)(1) states, a notary public is responsible for the security of their stamping device. A notary public may not allow another individual to use the device to perform a notarial act.
RULONA Section 319(h)(2) and (3)(ii) states a journal is the exclusive property of the notary public and may not be surrendered to an employer of the notary public upon termination of employment.
The best practice is to have another individual act as a witness.
You may not act as the notary and a witness when the signature of the witness needs to be notarized. You may not act as the notary and a witness for a power of attorney.
When you are not renewing your notary commission:
For more information, read the document Important facts you need to know if you are letting your commission expire. For further details, refer to the Practical Guide for Pennsylvania Notaries Public.
The state and county named in the venue show where you are when you notarize a document. The venue on a document you notarize in Adams County should show that county, regardless of the county shown on your official stamp.
If you are notarizing an acknowledgment, the customer may sign the document before appearing for the notarization. If you are notarizing a verification on oath or affirmation or a witnessing or attesting a signature, you must witness the customer sign. Have the customer draw a single line through their signature on the document and watch them sign again before notarizing the document.
The Montgomery County Recorder of Deeds has partnered with the Montgomery County Prothonotary to swear in notaries both in-person and via video conference. There is an additional convenience fee to get sworn in via video conference. For more information, visit the Montgomery County Recorder of Deeds website.
Use an email address on your notary application that you monitor regularly. Check your spam folder for emails from [email protected]. Add the [email protected] email to your safe sender list.
Read the Notice to Appointee letter carefully. You have 45 days to complete the commissioning process. To complete the process, you must:
When you retire:
For more information, read the document Important facts you need to know if you are letting your commission expire. For further details, refer to the Practical Guide for Pennsylvania Notaries Public.
Use the Pearson VUE website to create an account. Then schedule a date and time to take the exam either in person or online. You may take the exam online one time. If you need to retake the exam, you must take it in person.
If you do not have an active Pennsylvania notary commission when you apply to be a notary, you are required to take the notary exam. This applies to first time notaries and notaries whose commissions have expired.
You may notarize any document that contains proper notary wording. Some PennDOT forms can be downloaded from PennDOT’s website. Other forms are only available to PennDOT agents.
PennDOT Form MV-351 – Application for Temporary Registration Plates by Motor Vehicle Dealers and Full Agents is used by authorized agents to order temporary registration plates. The form allows agents to select either delivery by mail or order pick-up at the Harrisburg Riverfront Office Center (ROC).
No, but recorders may accept a paper copy of an electronically notarized document, if the notary certifies that the paper copy is a true and accurate copy of the electronic record.
No, the notary fees are set by the state. You may charge additional clerical and administrative fees, if they are recorded separately in your notary journal.
Effective March 28, 2026, Pennsylvania notaries may charge an additional notary fee of $20 for notarial acts performed using electronic or remote notarization technology.
If you are not an eNotary, the document must be printed before you notarize.
The following needs to take place:
The same notarial acts you are authorized to perform on paper may be performed electronically or remotely through the use of technology.
Because wills ills and powers of attorney are specialized documents. PAN recommends seeking the advice of an attorney-at-law.
Certificates of title may not be notarized electronically or remotely. PennDOT has not implemented electronic titling in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania notaries who are court reporters or stenographers who participate in criminal, civil and administrative proceedings may administer oaths and affirmations by video conference as part of those proceedings. Because of the limited nature of these proceedings, where there are many safeguards in place to ensure the identity of the witness, court reporters and stenographers do not need to apply and become remote online notaries or use approved remote technology to administer oaths and affirmations remotely.
Proceedings include depositions, arbitrations and hearings that occur as part of any criminal, civil and administrative proceeding. For more information, see this announcement from the Pennsylvania Department of State.
No, your notary bond meets the requirement of the notary law for standard face-to-face notarizations, electronic notarizations and remote online notarizations.
Yes, you need to be physically located in Pennsylvania when performing a remote online notarization.
Vendors typically include digital certificates with their products. Some vendors may not. Ask your RON technology vendor whether you need a separate digital certificate.
Yes, your approval expires at the end of your four-year notary commission or when the technology solution expires, whichever happens first. If you want to continue to notarize electronically, remotely or both, you must apply to renew that approval with the Pennsylvania Department of State. You also need to renew your agreement with an approved technology solution provider.
Learn more from the Pennsylvania Department of State website.
Witnesses may be located remotely, but they should be identified in the same manner as the remotely located customer. Also, the notary, customer and witnesses need to be able to communicate in real time using the approved audio-visual technology.
Processing times vary. If you haven’t received a response in one week, contact the Department of State.
The Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (RULONA) has been amended to make remote online notarization permanent.
E&O policies that cover notarizations are “silent” on how the notarization is performed. The E&O policies sold by PAN cover notarial acts if they are performed according to current notary law, rules and regulations.
Personal appearance is always required. The requirement may be met through face-to-face, in-person interaction or through the use of real-time audio-visual communication technology approved by the Department of State.
With electronic notarization, the notary and the customer are in the same room, within arm’s reach. They use the same computer to sign an electronic document. Remote online notarization also involves an electronic document, but takes place over the internet, using approved audio-visual technology. The notary is in one location, the customer is in another location.
To learn more, watch this video.
RULONA states, the audio-visual recording must contain “all interactions between the notary public and the remotely located individual.”
The customer needs to have a camera, microphone and internet access that allows them to communicate with the notary in real time.
You are not required to use an electronic journal. The law allows you to keep a separate journal for paper and electronic/remote notarizations. Those journals may be paper or electronic.
Visit the Department of State’s website. Then scroll down and click on the “List of Approved Electronic and Remote Notarization Solution Providers.”
RULONA states the notary public must notify the Department that the notary public will be performing notarial acts facilitated by communication technology and identify the technology.
Although we don’t provide specific education or certification for signing agents, we do assist our members through the entire process of becoming a notary...
There is no law requiring signing agents to have specialized certification or education. However, the loan signing agent industry has certain standards. Any company you choose to work with will almost certainly require you to provide proof of signing agent education, proof of Errors & Omissions (E&O) insurance, and an annual background check.
A signing agent (sometimes called a loan signing agent or a notary signing agent) is a mobile notary who is contracted by various entities, usually mortgage companies, title insurance companies, or signing service companies. The signing agent meets with borrowers to witness the signing of their loan documents. The most common loan documents involve a borrower refinancing their mortgage, but there are many other types of documents a signing agent may encounter.