Getting documents notarized online in Washington in 2027

What remote online notarization is

Remote online notarization (RON) is a notarization done over a live video call instead of face to face. Washington law lets an electronic records notary public located in Washington perform a notarial act using “communication technology”, meaning real-time sight and sound, for a person who is somewhere else. Appearing on that video call counts as appearing before the notary. (RCW 42.45.280)

A few things follow from the law:

• The notary must be in Washington. You don’t have to be.
• If you are outside the United States, the notary also has to confirm that the document relates to a matter, property or transaction connected with the United States, and that the country you are in doesn’t prohibit the signing. (RCW 42.45.280)
• The whole session is recorded on audio and video. The notary keeps that recording for at least ten years, and keeps a journal of every notarial act for ten years after the last act in it. (RCW 42.45.280, RCW 42.45.180)

You can check any Washington notary’s commission on the Department of Licensing’s lookup: Verify on the WA Department of Licensing.

What to have ready

Before your session, have these in front of you:

1. Your document, filled in. For an acknowledgment, signing before the session is fine. For a jurat (a sworn statement), wait: you sign live during the session, after you take an oath or affirmation.
2. A valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID for each signer: a state ID, driver’s license or passport. Every signer’s first, middle and last name should match their ID exactly.
3. A device with a camera, a microphone and a current web browser, plus an email address for the invitation.
4. A stable internet connection and a private place to sit for the call.
5. Every signer on the same call. If two or more people sign, everyone joins the same video call.

Two more things save trouble later:

• Ask whoever receives your document (a bank, a county office, a court, another state) whether they accept remote online notarization for your document and purpose. Some institutions have their own rules for how a document is signed or witnessed.
• Not every document can be notarized online. Please contact us first at notary@eronwa.com. There is no need to email your documents.

Plan to join 10 to 15 minutes early. The identity check happens at the start.

How identity checks work

Washington gives a remote notary three ways to be sure you are who you say you are. Any one is enough. (RCW 42.45.280)

1. The notary knows you personally.
2. A credible witness vouches for you under oath or affirmation. The witness must know you personally, and the notary must either know the witness or check the witness’s identity the same way they would check yours. The witness can join by video. (WAC 308-30-300)
3. Two different types of identity proofing. This is how most online sessions work. The Department of Licensing’s rule names the two (WAC 308-30-300):
   • Credential analysis. Software checks your ID’s security features to confirm it is genuine and not altered, and checks its details against the issuer’s or another trusted source where available. The notary then compares your ID’s photo and details with you, live on camera.
   • A knowledge-based quiz. You answer at least five questions about your own history, drawn from public or private records, each with at least five possible answers. You need at least 80 percent right, within two minutes. If you don’t pass, you can take the quiz once more within 24 hours, with at least 40 percent new questions. After a second miss, you can’t try again with the same online notary for 24 hours. The notary can’t see or record the questions or your answers.

A notary may also ask for more information or another ID if they need it to be sure of who you are. (RCW 42.45.050) If your identity can’t be verified, the notarization can’t go ahead.

What a notary can and can’t do

A notary can

• Confirm who you are.
• Take your acknowledgment: you confirm that a signature is yours and that you signed willingly.
• Give you an oath or affirmation and watch you sign a sworn statement (a jurat).
• Refuse to notarize if they aren’t satisfied that you are competent to sign, or that you are signing knowingly and willingly. A notary may also refuse in other cases, unless another law forbids it. (RCW 42.45.060)

A notary who is not a Washington attorney (or a limited license legal technician working within that license)

• Can’t help you draft legal records, give legal advice or otherwise practice law.
• Can’t act as an immigration consultant or immigration expert, or represent you in an immigration or citizenship proceeding.
• Can’t charge for any of those things.
• Can’t choose which notarial certificate your document needs. That choice is yours, or your attorney’s, or the receiving party’s.

(RCW 42.45.230)

Notarization confirms identity and witnesses a signature. It does not review a document for legal accuracy or advise on what it means or what it will do. If you need advice about a document, talk to a licensed attorney before your appointment.

E-RON WA is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. We don’t offer loan signings at this time.

What changes in 2027

A new law takes effect on January 1, 2027

Washington passed Substitute House Bill 2158, “Concerning electronic notarial acts”, in the 2026 session: 96 to 0 in the House on January 29, 2026, and 47 to 0 in the Senate on February 28, 2026. The Governor signed it on March 11, 2026. It is Chapter 21, Laws of 2026, and it takes effect on January 1, 2027. (bill history, RCW 42.45.280)

It rewrites RCW 42.45.280, the section on remote notarization. From January 1, 2027:

• Paper documents can be notarized remotely. Until now, Washington’s remote section covered notarial acts on electronic records. The 2027 version adds paper (“tangible”) records in two ways:
  • If the paper document is physically in front of the notary, the notary may take your acknowledgment by video, as long as the document is shown to you and you identify it during the recorded session.
  • If the paper document is with you, you sign it and a short declaration under penalty of perjury during the recorded session. The declaration says it is the same document the notary acted on, and that you appeared by video on that date. You then send both to the notary within three days. Once they arrive, the notary completes the certificate, and the notarization takes effect on the date you signed the declaration.
• Oaths and affirmations can be given by video to a person who is somewhere else, unless another Washington law says otherwise. The notary must identify you the same way as for any remote act, and record you taking the oath.

What does not change: the three ways a remote notary identifies you, the audio and video recording, and keeping that recording for at least ten years. (RCW 42.45.280)

Whether a given notary offers the paper-document route will depend on their platform. If you have a paper document, please contact us first.

The Department of Licensing’s rules are still being written

The Department of Licensing started rulemaking to carry out the new law on April 22, 2026 (WSR 26-09-147) and published proposed rules on September 23, 2026 (WSR 26-19-133). The proposal would:

• Add definitions, including “tangible record” (a physical or paper document).
• Add a new rule for paper documents: you must send the document to the notary within three days of the notarial act; the notary may say how it should be delivered; and if it doesn’t arrive in time, the notary may treat the notarization as invalid.

The public hearing is set for November 4, 2026, with adoption intended for November 5, 2026. As of October 31, 2026 these rules are proposed, not final, and the notice gives no effective date. (DOL rulemaking)

Ready to book?

Here is how it works with E-RON WA:

1. Request a time. Choose a time online. We review every request and usually confirm by email within a few hours.
2. Watch for your invitation. Once your request is confirmed, an email invitation comes from our notarization platform. You upload your documents there.
3. Join the video session. Join 10 to 15 minutes early. Show your ID, verify your identity, and sign.
4. Receive your documents. Pay the invoice and we send your notarized documents.

Book an appointment

Not sure your document qualifies? Please contact us first at notary@eronwa.com, or ask a question.

Sources: Washington State Legislature (RCW 42.45, WAC 308-30, SHB 2158 bill history) and the Washington State Register (WSR 26-09-147, 26-19-133), all read on October 31, 2026. Laws and rules change; check the linked official text for the current version.