Online Notary in Pennsylvania: Session, ID Checks, and Costs

You can get a document notarized online in Pennsylvania by meeting a commissioned Pennsylvania notary over a live video call, verifying your identity through the platform, and signing the document electronically while the session is recorded. The legal authority sits in the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts at 57 Pa. C.S. § 306.1, and the notary must be physically located in Pennsylvania during the act even though you can be anywhere, including overseas.¹ If you are outside the United States, the document must relate to a matter under U.S. jurisdiction or a transaction substantially connected with the United States, and signing cannot be prohibited where you are located.

What You Need Before the Call

Getting your materials ready in advance is the single best way to avoid a session that has to be restarted or abandoned.

A valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID. A Pennsylvania driver’s license, state ID card, or U.S. passport all work. The image needs to be clear and undamaged; expired identification will fail the automated credential check.
Your document as a PDF. Most platforms require you to upload the complete document before the video portion begins.
A device with a working camera and microphone. A laptop or tablet is standard. Some platforms support smartphones, but signing on a small screen is awkward.
A stable internet connection and good lighting. The whole session is recorded, and the notary needs to see both you and your ID clearly.

Before you book, confirm two things. First, check that your notary holds an active Pennsylvania commission through the Department of State’s searchable database.² Second, confirm that the platform the notary uses appears on the Department’s approved vendor list. A notarization performed through an unapproved technology provider may not be legally valid.³

How the Session Works

You log into the platform and complete identity verification first. On most services, credential analysis and knowledge-based questions run before the live video call begins, though some platforms run them in parallel with the notary already on screen.

Once your identity is confirmed, you join the audio-visual session. The notary will ask you to confirm that you understand the document and are signing voluntarily. This is not a formality. If the notary senses confusion or coercion, they are obligated to stop. You and the notary then apply electronic signatures to the digital document in real time while the video records the interaction.

The notary attaches a digital seal and a notarial certificate showing that the act was performed remotely. The platform generates a tamper-evident version of the finished document, which you can download. Any later alteration to the file will be detectable because of the embedded digital certificate.

How Identity Verification Works

The statute requires the notary to confirm your identity through at least two different types of identity proofing before the session can proceed.¹ Acceptable methods listed in the Department of State’s regulations include credential analysis, dynamic knowledge-based authentication (KBA), and biometric identification.⁴ Most platforms combine credential analysis with KBA.

Credential analysis is the automated step. You hold your photo ID up to your webcam, and the platform’s software inspects the security features, formatting, and embedded data for signs of fraud. Altered expiration dates or mismatched holograms get caught here, things a person would not spot on a video feed.

Knowledge-based authentication is the interactive step. The platform pulls personal questions from public-record databases covering past addresses, loan history, vehicle registrations, and similar records. You answer within a timed window and need to hit a minimum score. Expect roughly four to five questions with a strict time limit. If you fail on multiple attempts, the notary cannot proceed.

Two alternatives exist in the statute but rarely come up in ordinary RON sessions: verification through the notary’s personal knowledge of you, or through a credible witness who appears before the notary and swears to your identity.

What It Costs

Regulations that took effect on March 28, 2026, changed the fee structure for remote work. A Pennsylvania notary can now charge up to $20.00 per notarial act performed using communication technology or on an electronic record, up from the previous $5.00 cap that still applies to most traditional in-person acts.⁵

On top of the notary’s fee, the technology platform typically charges a separate session fee. Platform fees are not regulated by the Department of State and vary by provider. Notaries may also charge reasonable clerical or administrative fees for related services such as copies or postage. Under the 2026 rules, the notary must give you an itemized receipt for all fees charged.⁵

One quick way to spot a notary operating under the current rules: their official stamp must include a seven-digit commission identification number along with the notary’s name, county, and commission expiration date. A stamp without a commission number on a document notarized after March 2026 is a red flag.⁵

What You Get Afterward, and What Is on File

You leave the session with a downloadable, tamper-evident PDF containing the notary’s electronic signature, digital seal, and notarial certificate. Two separate records also exist behind the scenes.

The audio-visual recording of the session must be retained for at least 10 years, either by the notary or by a designated repository.¹ Separately, the notary keeps an electronic journal with an entry for each act, made at the time of the notarization. Each entry includes the date and time, the type of act, the full name and address of each signer, how identity was verified, and the fee charged.⁴

Under the 2026 regulations, anyone can request to inspect a notary’s journal, either orally or in writing, and the inspection must occur in the notary’s presence. If you request a certified copy of a specific entry, the notary has 15 days to provide it. That matters if you later need to prove the notarization happened or confirm its details for a legal proceeding. To protect signers, the journal is prohibited from containing Social Security numbers, full driver’s license numbers, dates of birth, or biometric records.⁵

When Remote Notarization May Not Be the Right Path

The statute is broad, but a few boundaries matter before you book a session.

Remote notarization and electronic signature are two different things. Remote notarization means the notary witnesses your signing over video; an electronic signature means the document itself is signed digitally rather than with wet ink. Pennsylvania permits both, but state law has historically restricted electronic signatures on certain estate planning documents such as wills. If you need a will or codicil notarized, confirm with your attorney whether the specific document can be signed electronically at all, or whether you need to sign a paper copy and have only the notarization performed remotely.

Recording in another state can also be a problem. A document notarized remotely by a Pennsylvania notary should be accepted elsewhere under the Full Faith and Credit Clause, as long as the notarization complied with Pennsylvania law. In practice, some county recorders and title companies in states without their own RON statutes have been slower to accept remotely notarized documents, particularly for real estate filings. If your document needs to be filed outside Pennsylvania, check with the receiving agency before the session.

1
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 57 Chapter 3 Section 306-1
2
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Electronic or Remote Notarization
3
Pennsylvania Department of State. Electronic Notarization and Remote Notarization Technology Providers
4
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 57 Notaries Public – RULONA as Amended
5
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Notary Regulations Changes