Frequently Asked Questions

Online notarization — also called Remote Online Notarization (RON) — is the process of having a document notarized by a commissioned notary public via a secure, live video call. The notary verifies identity, witnesses signature in real time, and applies a digital notary seal. The resulting document is legally equivalent to in-person notarization.

Electronic notarization involves a notary using electronic signature and seal on digital documents with both parties physically present in the same location. Online notarization (RON) involves the notary and signer in different locations, connected via live video. Rush Notary provides Remote Online Notarization — the most flexible and modern form of notarization available.

All of our notaries are in-house, Florida-commissioned notary publics who are fully trained, certified, and authorized to perform Remote Online Notarizations. We do not use third-party or freelance notaries — all sessions are conducted by our own vetted, credentialed team members available 24/7.

We notarize Powers of Attorney, Affidavits, Real Estate Deeds, Medical Authorizations, Vital Records applications, USPS Form 1583, loan documents, contracts, business agreements, and more. Contact our team if you're unsure whether your document qualifies.

No appointment is required if you use our Direct Connect service — connect instantly with an available notary. If you prefer to schedule ahead, our Scheduled Appointment service lets you pick a date and time. Both options are available 24/7. Advance scheduling is recommended for complex documents or multi-signer sessions.

The process has seven steps: (1) Book or connect via Direct Connect or scheduling; (2) Upload your PDF document securely; (3) Provide government-issued photo ID for credential analysis; (4) Complete KBA identity verification questions; (5) Join the secure video session with a certified notary; (6) Sign electronically while the notary witnesses and applies the digital seal; (7) Download your fully notarized document instantly after the session.

Most sessions are completed in 10–15 minutes. More complex documents or multiple-signer sessions may take longer. The identity verification step (KBA) typically takes 2–3 minutes and must be completed before the video session begins.

Yes. You can notarize one document with a single notary seal or multiple documents with multiple notary seals — all within a single session. Each notary seal is charged individually. Upload all documents before the session begins.

Yes. Witnesses can be arranged as part of an online session, which is the main thing a walk-in counter struggles with: shipping stores rarely have anyone to spare, and bank staff generally cannot witness a document they are also notarizing. Note that witnesses to the signing are a separate role from the notary — the notary verifies identity and completes the certificate, and does not count toward a witness requirement in most states. Check how many your document needs before the session.

Rush Notary performs fully digital notarizations with electronic signatures and a digital notary seal. If a receiving party requires a wet (ink) signature, you may need to print the notarized document and re-sign in ink. Confirm acceptance requirements with the receiving institution — most government agencies, courts, and financial institutions now accept digitally notarized documents.

Yes. In compliance with Florida law and RON regulations, each video session is recorded and retained as part of the notary's electronic journal. The recording serves as a tamper-evident audit trail protecting all parties. It is securely stored and not shared publicly.

Knowledge-Based Authentication (KBA) is a required identity verification step in Remote Online Notarization. You'll answer 5 multiple-choice questions about your personal history — such as previous addresses, loan history, or vehicle information — drawn from public records. You must answer at least 4 of 5 correctly within 2 minutes. KBA must be completed individually and cannot be helped by others. It is a fraud-prevention measure required by law for RON.

You have 2 attempts to pass KBA. If you fail both attempts, your access will be locked for 24 hours before you can try again. This is a legal security requirement — not a Rush Notary restriction. Contact our support team if you continue to have issues to explore alternative verification options.

Accepted government-issued photo IDs include: U.S. State-Issued Driver's License, U.S. State-Issued Photo ID Card, U.S. Passport Book or Passport Card, Certificate of U.S. Citizenship, Certificate of Naturalization, Foreign Passport, Alien Registration Card with Photo (Green Card), and U.S. Military ID. Your ID must be current (not expired) and clearly legible. Expired IDs are not accepted.

Yes. You'll be prompted to upload a photo of your government-issued ID during the booking or pre-session setup process. Credential analysis software verifies the ID's authenticity before the video session begins. Your ID photo should be clear, well-lit, and show all four corners of the document.

Yes. A large majority of U.S. states have enacted remote online notarization (RON) laws, and Rush Notary operates under Florida's RON framework. A document notarized in a Florida RON session carries the same legal effect as one notarized in person. Whether a particular court, agency, lender, or institution accepts it is that party's decision, so we recommend confirming with the receiving party before your session.

The DS-3053 is the U.S. Department of State consent form a non-applying parent signs so a child under 16 can be issued a passport, and it must be sworn before a passport authorizing officer or a notary. Before booking an online session for one, confirm with the passport acceptance facility or agency that they will accept a remotely notarized consent — the form itself says nothing about remote online notarization, its notarial block requires the notary to have personally viewed the parent's ID and the matching photocopy, and acceptance is the State Department's decision rather than ours. The consent is also only valid for 90 days from the date it is notarized.

Yes. Our Florida-commissioned notaries can legally notarize documents for signers located in any U.S. state, regardless of where you are physically located at the time of the session. You can be at home, at the office, or traveling — as long as you have a device and internet connection. Most states recognize a notarization taken in accordance with the laws of the place where it was performed, which for our sessions is Florida. Acceptance is ultimately up to the receiving agency, recorder, lender, or institution, and some documents — such as deeds headed to a county recorder — carry additional state-specific witness or recording requirements. We recommend confirming with the receiving party before you book.

Yes. Rush Notary offers Apostille services for documents that need to be used internationally. An Apostille is a certification recognized by the countries that are party to the 1961 Hague Convention — it confirms the authenticity of the notary's signature, seal and authority for international use, not the contents of the document. Common use cases include Power of Attorney for foreign transactions, educational documents, and business agreements. If the destination country is not a Hague member, the document goes through authentication and legalization instead.

Yes. Rush Notary's platform is SOC 2 certified and HIPAA compliant. This means your documents, personal information, and session recordings are handled with the highest level of data security and privacy. Our systems are designed to protect sensitive information from document upload to secure delivery of your notarized files.

U.S. Post Offices operate at the federal level and are not authorized to provide notary services, which are governed at the state level. Some banks offer notary services but typically only to their own customers during business hours, without online or remote options. Rush Notary offers 24/7 availability, no travel required, and full legal compliance.

Notarization at Rush Notary starts at $25 per notary seal. Each additional notary seal within the same session is also $25. There are no hidden fees. Custom pricing is available for businesses or organizations with high document volume.

We accept all major credit and debit cards — Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover — processed securely via Stripe. Payment is collected at the time of booking or before the session begins. Cash and checks are not accepted.

If a notarization session cannot be completed due to technical issues on Rush Notary's end, or if the notary is unable to proceed, a full refund will be issued. Sessions cancelled by the client before the session begins may be eligible for a refund depending on the timing. Please see our full Refund Policy on our website.

You need: a device with camera and microphone (smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop), a stable internet connection, a modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge — no downloads required), a government-issued photo ID (to photograph and upload), and your document in PDF format (to upload before the session).

No downloads or plugins are required. The entire notarization process runs in your web browser. Simply click the link you receive after booking, and the session will launch directly in your browser window.

Documents must be uploaded as PDF files. If your document is in a Word (.docx) or image format, please convert it to PDF before uploading. Most devices and computers can export to PDF natively. The document should be complete and ready to sign — do not sign before the session, as the notary must witness the act of signing live.

Absolutely. Rush Notary uses bank-grade encryption for all document uploads, identity verification, and session data. The platform is SOC 2 certified and HIPAA compliant. Documents are stored securely and only accessible by the assigned notary during the session. After the session, the notarized document is delivered securely with session data retained in compliance with Florida's RON recordkeeping requirements.