- Licensed online notary
- ~15 min average
- Notarized PDF emailed
- Available 24/7
What it is
An affidavit of domicile is a sworn statement identifying where someone was legally domiciled — their permanent home — at the time of their death. Brokerages, transfer agents and banks require one before moving stocks, bonds or accounts out of a deceased person's name, because domicile decides which state's probate and inheritance-tax rules apply to the transfer.
Who needs it
Executors, personal representatives and administrators settling an estate, and surviving joint owners or beneficiaries asked by a transfer agent or brokerage to produce one before a securities transfer.
Why it needs a notary
Domicile is a legal conclusion, not a fact on a document, and the institution releasing the assets is taking your word for it. The notarized oath is what makes that word evidence — which is why transfer agents will not process the transfer without one.
How to notarize a Affidavit of Domicile online
- 1
Upload your document
Drag in your PDF — no printing or scanning. Add your email so we can send the finished file.
- 2
Verify your identity
Answer a few knowledge-based questions and scan your government-issued photo ID. It takes about a minute.
- 3
Meet your notary on video
A licensed online notary joins you on a secure video call, confirms your ID, and witnesses your signature.
- 4
Download the notarized PDF
The notary applies their electronic seal and tamper-evident certificate. Your notarized document is emailed to you instantly.
You’ll need ID and a webcam.
A licensed online notary joins you on a secure video call, verifies your government-issued ID, witnesses your signature, and applies their electronic seal. You’ll receive the notarized PDF by email when the session ends.
Frequently asked questions
- Who signs the affidavit of domicile?
- The executor or personal representative of the estate, or a surviving joint owner where the institution allows it. Whoever signs is swearing to the deceased person's legal residence, so it needs to be someone with direct knowledge of it.
- Is domicile the same as where the person died?
- No, and this is the distinction that matters. Domicile is the permanent home someone intended to return to, not where they happened to be at the end. Someone who lived in one state and died in a hospital or care facility in another is usually still domiciled in the first. Where the two could be argued either way, ask the estate's attorney before swearing to it.
- Does the brokerage have its own form?
- Usually yes, and they generally want theirs. Fidelity, Schwab and most transfer agents publish their own affidavit of domicile, and a generic one is a common reason a transfer gets sent back. Get the form from the institution holding the assets before you book.
- Can this be notarized online?
- Often, but confirm with the institution first. Transfer agents vary in what they accept and some still require a wet-ink original or a medallion signature guarantee, which is a separate thing a notary cannot provide. Ask what they need before the session rather than after.
Other documents you can notarize online
Power of Attorney
Make a financial, medical, or durable POA legally binding.
Affidavit
Sworn statements for court, business, or personal matters.
Affidavit of Residency
Sworn proof of address for schools, the DMV and agencies.
Also need certified copies?
Estates run on copies — death certificates, letters testamentary, account statements. What a notary may and may not certify, and the workaround when they cannot.
Can a notary certify a copy? →Not sure which notarial act your form needs? The glossary explains the terms on it, the notary guides compare where you can get a document notarized, and the FAQs cover how a session runs. Which documents may be notarized online, and the identity rules that apply, are set by each state — see the requirements page.