California Remote Online Notarization: Rollout, ID Rules, Fees

California remote online notarization is authorized by law but not yet available. The Online Notarization Act, codified at Government Code sections 8231 through 8231.20, lets notaries perform notarial acts over audio-video communication, but no California-commissioned notary can actually do so until the Secretary of State finishes building the supporting technology and adopts implementing regulations. The statutory deadline for that work is January 1, 2030.¹ If you see a service advertising RON by a California notary today, it is not lawful under state law regardless of what the platform claims.

Why California RON Isn’t Live Yet

Assembly Bill 1093, signed in 2022 and later amended by SB 696, created the Online Notarization Act. The statute conditions the start of RON on two things happening first: the Secretary of State must complete and certify a technology project, publishing that certification on its website, and the Secretary of State must adopt regulations governing how RON works in practice.¹

Those regulations will cover audio-video communication standards, credential analysis, electronic journals and seals, identity proofing, platform and depository requirements, record retention, and data security. Until every one of those pieces is in place, no California notary is authorized to perform an online notarization.¹

The current statutory deadline for the Secretary of State to complete the project is January 1, 2030. That date is not fixed in stone. If the Secretary of State notifies the Legislature and the Governor in writing by January 1, 2029, that the project remains incomplete, the deadline can shift.¹

If You Need Remote Notarization Now

For California-specific filings, in-person notarization remains the only lawful path until the Secretary of State certifies the technology project as complete. Some people work around this by using a notary commissioned in a state that already permits RON, such as Virginia, Texas, or Florida. That can work, but confirm with the receiving party — a county recorder, lender, court, or agency — that they will accept a document notarized under another state’s law. Acceptance is not automatic.

Even once California’s own program is live, documents notarized here through RON are not automatically honored everywhere else. Each state and country sets its own rules for accepting remotely notarized documents. Verify recognition before you rely on a California RON notarization for anything that will be filed or enforced outside the state.

Identity Verification the Law Will Require

California’s statute sets an unusually high identity-verification bar. A RON session must include three layers: remote presentation of a government-issued credential on camera, credential analysis (automated inspection of the ID’s security features), and identity proofing of the signer.¹

The identity proofing must meet at least Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2) as defined by NIST Special Publication 800-63A, a federal cybersecurity standard. IAL2 requires evidence tying a claimed identity to a real person with a high degree of confidence, going beyond the knowledge-based questions (“which of these addresses have you lived at?”) that many earlier RON states relied on. If California or federal privacy laws — such as restrictions on driver’s license data — make full IAL2 compliance impossible, the Secretary of State must adopt the most rigorous alternative that still complies with those laws.¹

Platforms, Depositories, and Recordkeeping

RON sessions must run on registered platforms. A company offering a RON platform in California will have to register with the Secretary of State before providing services to any notary, and the same applies to depositories that store audio-video recordings and electronic journals on notaries’ behalf. Both platforms and depositories must maintain security for claims against them, in a form the Secretary of State will specify by regulation.¹

The video feed itself must be continuous and synchronous, with all participants clearly seen and understood throughout the session. Platforms must also accommodate signers with disabilities consistent with applicable accessibility laws. Detailed technical standards — resolution, encoding, latency, encryption — will come through the Secretary of State’s regulations.¹

A RON notary must keep both a tangible sequential journal and one or more secure electronic journals recording each online notarial act. The audio-video recording of every session has to be retained on an encrypted storage device or encrypted online media, accessible only through secure multifactor authentication.¹ The statute does not name a fixed retention period; the Secretary of State will set that by regulation. When a notary resigns, loses their commission, or lets their RON registration expire, all notarial records must be delivered to the Secretary of State within 30 days.

How Notaries Can Prepare

Hold a Standard California Commission

Before applying for RON authorization, you need an active California notary public commission. That means passing the notary exam administered by CPS HR Consulting on behalf of the Secretary of State, completing an approved education course, and submitting fingerprints through Live Scan for a background check after passing the exam. You also have to be at least 18 and a legal California resident.²³

Register Separately for RON

RON authorization is a separate registration on top of your commission. A person applying for a new commission may apply for RON registration at the same time. Registration will require meeting whatever additional training, technology, and operational standards the Secretary of State adopts by rule.¹ Specific training hours and course content have not been finalized. Watch the Secretary of State’s notary page for announcements about approved RON training and the public comment period that will precede final regulations.

Fees

The Secretary of State will set the maximum fee a notary can charge for an online notarial act. That ceiling has not been established. California’s current maximum for a traditional in-person notarization is $15 per signature. States that already allow RON commonly set their online ceiling higher than their in-person ceiling to reflect technology costs, but California’s number will not be known until the fee schedule is published as part of the implementing regulations.

Penalties Once the Program Is Live

The Online Notarization Act carries civil and criminal exposure for notaries, platforms, and depositories. A willful violation of the online notarization provisions can draw a civil penalty of up to $1,500 per violation. Knowingly obtaining, concealing, damaging, or destroying — without authorization — the electronic signature or seal hardware, software, or credentials used for RON is a misdemeanor. So is willfully failing to deliver notarial records to the Secretary of State within 30 days of resigning, being disqualified, being removed, or letting registration expire.⁴

Platforms and depositories that negligently violate the statute can be sued for actual damages or statutory damages of $250 per violation, whichever is greater, plus injunctive relief. An injured party has three years from discovery of the violation to file suit.⁴ Any violation can also serve as grounds for the Secretary of State to refuse or revoke a notary’s RON registration.

Legal Weight of a RON Notarization

Once the program is operational, a document notarized through California RON will carry the same legal weight as a traditional in-person notarization, provided every statutory protocol is followed. The electronic notarial certificate is signed under penalty of perjury.⁵ The notary must hold a California commission and be registered for RON; the signer can appear from anywhere by audio-video communication, which is what makes RON useful for real estate closings, business transactions, and legal documents involving out-of-state parties.

1
California Legislative Information. California Government Code GOV 8231-8231.20 – Online Notarization
2
California Secretary of State. Become a Notary Public
3
California Secretary of State. Submit Fingerprints via Live Scan
4
LegiScan. Bill Text CA SB696 2023-2024 Regular Session Amended
5
California Legislative Information. AB-1093 Remote Online Notaries Public