Document Eligibility Guide

Many personal, business, and real estate documents can be notarized online through Remote Online Notarization, also called RON.

This page is here to help you understand what may qualify before your appointment. If you are unsure, no worries. You can upload your document with your intake form, and it will be reviewed before your session.

Some documents have special signing, witness, filing, or state requirements. These may need to be reviewed before an online appointment can be confirmed.

This may include:

• Powers of attorney
• Wills, trusts, and other estate-planning documents
• Documents that require witnesses
• Court documents
• Real estate and title documents
• Documents that will be filed or recorded with a county
• Documents with special requirements from a bank, lender, title company, court, or government agency
• Documents that will be used outside the United States
• Documents involving an apostille or authentication

New York has additional restrictions. Certain documents, including powers of attorney, wills, trusts, and DNR decisions, cannot generally be completed through New York Remote Online Notarization because New York does not allow electronic signatures for these documents.

JG Notary Express currently provides individual notarial services for eligible real estate documents. Full purchase closings, refinance packages, HELOC signing packages, mortgage closings, and other full loan-signing packages are not currently offered.

New Jersey: Electronic notarization is allowed for many real estate documents, including deeds, although some property-transfer forms have additional requirements and may not be suitable for a fully electronic process.

New York: Many real estate documents may also be electronically notarized, including deeds and mortgages, but New York may have additional attorney, electronic-signature, or recording requirements depending on the transaction.

Most JG Notary Express appointments are completed under our New Jersey notary commission, so New Jersey notary rules will generally govern the notarial act. Documents are reviewed before the appointment to confirm that the requested online notarization can be completed.

No. Both New Jersey and New York allow online notarization, but their rules are different.

JG Notary Express is commissioned in both states, but most online appointments are completed under our New Jersey notary commission. Under New Jersey's notary rules, an online notarization performed by a New Jersey notary is considered to take place in New Jersey and follows New Jersey notary law. The signer does not have to be located in New Jersey.

New York has its own electronic-notary rules and additional restrictions for certain documents. When a New York electronic notarization is needed, those requirements will be reviewed before the appointment.

Your document will be reviewed before your appointment if there is any question about which rules apply.

Official resources: New Jersey Department of the Treasury -New Jersey Notary Public Manual; New York Department of State - Notary Public License Law.

For online notarization, you’ll need an original, physical, government-issued photo ID that can be verified during the identity-check process.

Commonly accepted primary IDs include:

• U.S. driver’s licenses and state IDs
• U.S. passports and passport cards
• Permanent Resident Cards
• Foreign passports with a Machine Readable Zone (MRZ)

Generally not accepted:

• Military IDs
• Inmate or prisoner IDs
• Digital IDs stored in Apple or Google Wallet
• Photocopies, scans, or previously taken photos of your primary ID
• Expired IDs, in most cases

Please have your original physical ID with you during the appointment. Make sure it is clear, readable, and not blocked by glare.

A secondary ID may also be required in some situations. Examples can include a Social Security card, birth certificate, recent tax document, utility bill, bank statement, proof of insurance, or another accepted form of identification.

If you’re unsure whether your ID will work, contact JG Notary Express before your appointment.

To help your online notarization go smoothly, there are a few things you’ll need to take care of before and during your session.

Before your appointment

• Upload the full document you need notarized, including all pages, and leave it unsigned.
• Make sure the document contains the information it is supposed to contain before the signing session.
• If the document does not clearly show what type of notarization is needed, check with the person or company requesting the document before your appointment.
• Tell us ahead of time if your document requires witnesses. If a witness is added after the session has already started, an additional fee will apply.
• If your document is being sent to a bank, court, lender, title company, government agency, or another business, confirm that they accept Remote Online Notarization.

During your appointment

• Anyone whose signature is being notarized must personally appear during the live online session.
• Each signer must complete the required identity verification.
• Signers must be able to communicate clearly with the notary and participate willingly in the session.
• Wait to sign until your appointment. Signature and notary fields will be prepared in advance when appropriate, and you’ll complete the signing during the online session.

Your notary can:

• Explain what to expect during the online notarization process.
• Explain the general differences between common notarial acts, such as an acknowledgment or jurat.
• Review your document for the information needed to complete the notarization.
• Prepare the appropriate signature and notary fields for your online session once the required notarial act is known.
• Administer an oath or affirmation when required.

There are also limits to a notary's role. Your notary cannot:

• Give legal advice or explain what a legal document means for you.
• Choose or prepare a legal document or form for you.
• Decide which type of notarization you need. If it is not clear from your document or instructions, you may need to confirm this with the person or company requesting the document.
• Tell you how to complete the legal contents of your document.
• Proceed with a notarization when the signer, document, or session does not meet the required legal or identity-verification requirements.

Not every document or situation can be completed through Remote Online Notarization. Your appointment may not be able to move forward if:

• The signer is not present for the online session.
  RON still requires the signer to personally appear before the notary through live audio and video.
• The signer’s identity cannot be verified.
  The session cannot continue if the required identity verification is not successfully completed.
• The signer does not appear to understand what they are signing or is not signing willingly.
  The notary must be satisfied that the signer is participating willingly and understands the document they are signing.
• The document cannot legally be signed or notarized electronically.
  Some documents have special rules that do not allow electronic signing or online notarization. This is especially important for certain documents under New York law.
• The type of notarization needed is unclear.
  A notary cannot choose the notarial act for you. If the document does not indicate what is required, you may need to confirm this with the person or company that provided or will accept the document.

That’s completely okay. Please upload your document with your intake form so it can be reviewed before your appointment.

You may also email your question to info@jgnotaryexpress.com before completing your intake.

JG Notary Express will review your document for online notarization purposes only. Legal advice is not provided.