Texas

Online notarization in Texas: Get your document notarized today

Remote online notary in Texas

When you need to have a document notarized in Texas, Remote Online Notarization (RON) offers several distinct advantages over traditional walk-in or mobile notary services. But is online notarization legal in Texas? This article will explain how Texas notarization law works and how you can use a remote online notary in Texas to start notarizing your documents online right away using PandaDoc Notary. Learn everything about remote online notarization in Texas.

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How does PandaDoc Notary work?

Though you could always notarize your documents in person with a walk-in or mobile notary, Remote Online Notarization (RON) is increasingly becoming the preferred option for individuals, SMBs, and enterprise-level businesses. This is thanks to its many perks, which continue to become evident as more states proceed to enact some form of permanent RON law. 

PandaDoc Notary is an industry-leading Remote Online Notarization platform that makes it easier than ever to create, edit, and eSign your essential documents online. In addition to offering a wide range of state-approved document templates, PandaDoc Notary allows you to connect with commissioned online notaries who can help you notarize and seal your documents within minutes.  

Thanks to PandaDoc Notary’s secure, cloud-based platform, you can meet with a notary at a moment’s notice from wherever you are. Not only does this save you time and money in the long run, but it also ensures you have 24/7 access to your notarized documents as PandaDoc Notary securely stores them for you.

Though the platform is highly user-friendly and easy to use, the PandaDoc Notary product help center ensures you have access to any technical solutions you may need at any time. They also offer a friendly and knowledgeable chat support so that you can always find the answer to your questions.

PandaDoc Notary is also MISMO® certified and in compliance with their strict regulatory standards and best practices to protect your documents.

How does online notary work in Texas?

Texas allows individuals and businesses to utilize online notarization services in addition to traditional notary options. Remote online notarization makes it simple to notarize documents because it allows you to sign documents conveniently from your home without any of the hassles of meeting with a notary in person.

With remote online notarization, signers can meet with a state-commissioned notary online via a two-way audio-visual connection to quickly complete notary transactions via a secure RON provider platform. The process of notarizing a document online is similar to that of traditional notarization. 

When you choose to use a remote online notary in Texas, you must first pay any notarization fees- including the standard notarization fee and any additional online notary fee required by the notary. You will then appear before the notary and undergo an algorithm-based identity check. Once that is cleared, the signers will apply their eSignatures to the document.

Finally, the notary will apply their own unique eSeal and signature to the document, immediately rendering the document legally binding. Notaries who are approved to provide online notarization services in Texas can carry out the same notarial acts that a traditional notary is authorized to execute. 

Benefits of online notary in Texas

Utilizing an online notary in Texas has several distinct benefits over traditional notarization services that go beyond mere convenience, namely: 

  • Remote online notarization services allow you to appear virtually before a commissioned notary online from your own home, but this doesn’t mean that there are any compromises made to ensure your documents are protected. 
  • In addition to using complex knowledge-based authentication (KBA) algorithms to verify the signer’s identity, RON platforms provide the additional advantage of allowing you to securely store and access your documents on an encrypted platform.

These extra security layers are impossible with traditional notarization services and help to ensure your document is protected against fraud or tampering. 

FAQ’s

Is online notarization legal in Texas?

Yes. Notaries who are commissioned to practice online can perform Remote Online Notarization (RON) services in Texas.

While many states adopted RON law due to COVID-19, Texas remote online notarization law was introduced years earlier. In 2018, Texas became the third state to enable RON services. In addition to possessing a traditional Texas notary commission, those who provide RON services will have also attained an online notary commission.

How much can an online notary charge in Texas?

In Texas, an online notary can charge up to $25 per notarial act, in addition to the standard notarization fee. Online notaries in Texas are not required to charge a fee specifically for online notarization.

Notarizations in Texas charge up to $6 per notarial act, regardless of whether they are performed in person or online.

What are the notary laws in Texas?

In Texas, a document can be notarized by a commissioned notary public as long as the signer’s identities can be verified and the appropriate notarial fees have been paid. Texas allows documents to be signed and notarized either in person or using Remote Online Notarization.

Notaries in Texas must pay an additional fee and apply to provide remote online notary services and purchase a digital certificate and eSeal as well.

If I notarize a document in Texas, will it be recognized by other states?

As long as the document has been notarized in compliance with Texas online notary law, documents notarized in texas will be recognized as legally valid in all 50 states.

Whether a document has been notarized with RON or traditional notarization services, a notarized document will be legally enforceable across the country. This is true for all 50 states, including those which have not yet adopted permanent online notarization law.

Do I have to be in Texas to use PandaDoc Notary services?

You don’t have to be in Texas to use PandaDoc Notary services.

You can access all of PandaDoc Notary’s services and resources from wherever you happen to be located, as long as you have access to a secure internet connection. This makes it easy for documents with multiple signers to be notarized, as it doesn’t require all of the signers and the notary to be in the same room simultaneously.

With RON, document signers can even be located in different states and still partake in the notarization process. While PandaDoc Notary can quickly connect you with a commissioned Texas notary, you can review and sign your document from wherever you happen to be.

How to notarize a document in Texas?

If you need to notarize a document in Texas, you will need to appear before an actively commissioned notary public at the time of the document signing. There are several methods you can use to notarize a document in Texas, including traditional “wet ink” signatures and Remote Online Notarization (RON).

While traditional notarization services, such as walk-in and mobile notaries, involve meeting with a state-commissioned notary public in person, RON allows document signers and notaries to meet online to securely sign and notarize their documents. Not only does this save you the time and effort that is involved with connecting with a traditional notary, but it’s also highly secure and easy to use.

In Texas, a document that has been signed and notarized using online notarization is legally binding and enforceable in all 50 states. Texas notaries must pay a fee to become certified to perform RON services and must also hold a valid digital eSeal.

What are the Texas notarization requirements?

To notarize a document in Texas, all signing parties must appear before an actively commissioned notary public who can provide their signature and seal. At the time of the notarization, all signing parties will need to present some form of valid identification so that the notary can fulfill their duty of verifying the signer’s identity.

These forms of identification can include:

  1. Driver’s license
  2. Passport
  3. Military ID card
  4. Government-issued ID card
  5. Permanent resident card

At the time of the notarization, the signers will have to pay the appropriate notary fee, depending on the type of notarization required. Though the notary is not required to review the contents of your document, you should always double-check for errors before signing.

Once you have paid the notary fee and provided proof of identity, the signers will apply their signatures to the document. The notary will then apply their own signature and seal and note the transaction in the notarial log.

A document can be signed and notarized in Texas using online notarization, eSignature, or traditional “wet ink” signatures.

What types of notarizations are permitted online in Texas?

Remote online notaries in Texas are permitted to carry out all of the same notarial acts that a traditional notary can. These notarial acts include (but are not limited to) notarizing the following types of documents:

  • Affidavits: A statement sworn under oath, in written form.
  • Taking depositions: A form of gathering evidence from a witness for a trial.
  • Wills and trusts: Legal documents detailing the distribution of an estate and its assets.
  • Court documents: Documents or materials filed concerning a court case.
  • Property deeds: Documents that transfer property ownership from seller to buyer.
  • Custody and guardianship agreements: Documents that assign custody rights over a child.