Remote notarization has become a permanent part of Pennsylvania law with the passage of Act 97, effective on October 29, 2020.
The law allows a Pennsylvania notary public to select one or more tamper-evident technologies to perform notarial acts and may perform a notarial act facilitated by communication technology for a remotely located individual.
However, before the notary public can perform any notarial act with an electronic record by means of electronic communication, the notary must notify the Department of State that they will be doing so.
Once the notification is received and approved, the notary must identify each technology they intend to use. The Department of State maintains a list of approved technology vendors, as communication technologies such as Skype, Zoom and FaceTime alone are not acceptable for remote notarization.
Additionally, the notarial certificate must disclose that the notarization was conducted using communication technology, satisfied with the following statement: “This notarial act involved the use of communication technology.”
Remote notarization has helped to keep people socially distant and healthy during this pandemic and will continue to aid notaries and their customers as we adjust to this new normal.