By Krystle Wells, Pennsylvania Commissioned Notary Public and founder of Wells Notary Service LLC

Yes. Pennsylvania permanently authorizes remote online notarization, commonly called RON.

But I want to make one distinction clear because the word “Pennsylvania” can make customers think they also have to be located here.

I must be physically inside Pennsylvania when I perform the remote notarial act under my Pennsylvania commission. The customer may be located in Pennsylvania, another U.S. state, a U.S. territory or possession, or—when additional legal conditions are satisfied—a foreign country.

That means Wells Notary Service is not limited to Pennsylvania customers for eligible online appointments.

It does not mean that every person with an ID, every document, every transaction, or every receiving organization automatically qualifies. The customer’s identity, location, document, requested notarial act, technology, governing law, and recipient’s requirements still have to line up.

Four separate questions determine whether RON works

People often combine four different questions:

1. Does Pennsylvania authorize the notary to perform RON? Yes, if the notary is properly commissioned, has notified the Pennsylvania Department of State, and uses compliant approved technology.
2. Where must the notary be? A Pennsylvania notary must be physically located inside Pennsylvania at the time of the remote notarial act.
3. Where may the signer be? The signer may be somewhere else, including another U.S. jurisdiction and, under additional conditions, outside the United States.
4. Will this particular document and recipient accept the result? That must be confirmed for the actual transaction.

The first three questions may make the appointment legally possible. The fourth determines whether online notarization is the right choice for the customer’s purpose.

What remote online notarization actually means

RON is not a signature watched over an ordinary video call.

During a compliant remote appointment, the customer and notary communicate simultaneously by sight and sound through an approved platform. The platform supports identity proofing, the electronic record, electronic signatures, the notarial certificate and seal, tamper-evident technology, and an audio-visual recording of the notarial session.

Pennsylvania distinguishes RON from electronic notarization performed with the signer physically in front of the notary. With RON, the communication technology satisfies the personal-appearance requirement for a remotely located individual when all applicable requirements are met.

Zoom, FaceTime, or another ordinary video call by itself is not a Pennsylvania remote notarization platform.

The notary must be in Pennsylvania—not the customer

The notarial certificate reflects where the notary is physically located when the act occurs. For Wells, that means a Pennsylvania venue even if the customer is signing from California, Florida, New York, Texas, another U.S. jurisdiction, or an eligible location abroad.

The customer’s physical location should be disclosed accurately during screening and the appointment. Location can affect whether the act is permitted, whether the platform can serve the customer, and whether the document or transaction is eligible.

I do not want “Pennsylvania online notary” to sound like “Pennsylvania customers only.” The service can reach much farther. At the same time, I do not want “nationwide” to sound like a guarantee that every transaction works online.

Customers in another U.S. state or territory

Pennsylvania law allows a Pennsylvania remote notary to perform an eligible notarial act for a remotely located individual in another U.S. state, territory, or possession while the notary remains physically in Pennsylvania.

The customer does not become subject to Pennsylvania law for every part of the underlying document merely because a Pennsylvania notary performs the notarial act. The document, transaction, property, court, agency, institution, or recipient may be governed by another jurisdiction’s law.

Wells does not advise customers which state’s law controls their document. The document preparer, receiving organization, or an attorney licensed in the applicable jurisdiction should answer that question.

Customers located outside the United States

An international customer may also be eligible, but “internationally available” should never be advertised as unconditional worldwide acceptance.

Under Pennsylvania’s remote-notarization rules, when the remotely located individual is outside the United States, the record must relate to:

• a matter before a U.S. public official, court, governmental entity, or other entity subject to U.S. jurisdiction;
• property located within U.S. territorial jurisdiction; or
• a transaction substantially connected with the United States.

The notarial act must also not be prohibited by the law of the foreign state where the customer is physically located. Technology, identification, sanctions, platform access, local restrictions, authentication, translation, and recipient requirements may create additional barriers.

An international customer should disclose their exact physical location during screening and confirm with the recipient whether a Pennsylvania RON document will be accepted.

A valid ID is necessary—but it may not be enough

Customers sometimes hear “online notary” and think the appointment only requires showing a driver’s license to a webcam.

Pennsylvania-compliant RON identity verification may use the notary’s personal knowledge, a properly identified credible witness, or approved identity-proofing methods. Depending on the platform and transaction, the process may include:

• analysis of a current government-issued identification credential;
• knowledge-based authentication questions;
• biometric or other identity-proofing technology;
• comparison of the customer to the credential photograph;
• additional information needed to establish identity; and
• identity verification for any required witness.

A current acceptable ID does not guarantee that every identity-proofing step will succeed. A customer may have difficulty if the credential is expired or damaged, the information does not match, the camera cannot capture it clearly, the platform cannot verify the credential, or the customer cannot complete another required identity check.

Wells cannot bypass required security controls simply because the customer is known to someone else, is in a hurry, or has already paid.

The customer must still appear and participate

RON is convenient, but it is still a real notarial appointment.

The signer must personally appear through the approved audio-visual system. The notary must be able to see, hear, communicate with, and identify the signer. The notary must also determine that the requested act can be performed lawfully and that the signature or statement is made knowingly and voluntarily.

Another person cannot appear for the customer, answer identity questions for them, sign in their place without lawful authority and a document that supports it, pressure them off camera, or tell the notary to backdate the act.

The customer should have:

• a supported computer or mobile device;
• a working camera, microphone, speakers, and reliable internet connection;
• a quiet, well-lit space;
• current acceptable identification;
• the complete document in a supported format;
• every required signer available;
• any customer-arranged eligible witnesses required by the document; and
• enough time to complete identity verification and the live session without rushing.

Wells Notary Service does not provide third-party witnesses.

Legal recognition is not the same as mandatory acceptance

Federal E-SIGN law generally provides that a signature, contract, or other covered record in interstate or foreign commerce may not be denied legal effect solely because it is electronic. It also addresses electronic fulfillment of a notarization requirement when the authorized person’s electronic signature and required information are attached to or logically associated with the record.

That federal recognition is important. It is not a promise that every private person or organization must agree to transact electronically. E-SIGN expressly preserves circumstances in which a person is not required to use or accept electronic records or signatures. Other laws may exclude certain records or impose additional requirements.

This is why Wells will not say, “Federal law means everybody has to accept this.”

A receiving party may require:

• an original ink-signed paper document;
• an in-person notarization;
• a notary commissioned in a particular jurisdiction;
• witnesses with particular qualifications;
• a specific notarial certificate or document form;
• lender, title, court, agency, recorder, or institutional approval;
• an apostille or authentication process; or
• another execution method required by governing law.

Notarization does not decide whether the underlying document is legally sufficient, whether it accomplishes the customer’s goal, or whether the recipient will accept it.

Documents and transactions that need extra checking

Eligibility should be confirmed before the appointment when the document involves:

• wills, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, or estate planning;
• deeds, mortgages, title documents, real-estate closings, or recording offices;
• court filings, government agencies, or correctional facilities;
• international use, apostilles, authentications, or translations;
• adoption, custody, guardianship, or minor-travel matters;
• a recipient that provided exact signing instructions;
• a document that prohibits electronic signatures or remote execution; or
• a document whose governing jurisdiction has special execution rules.

This list does not mean every document in those categories is prohibited. It means the customer should not assume eligibility or acceptance.

Wells cannot select the document, choose the notarial act, provide the legal certificate wording when that would constitute unauthorized legal advice, or tell the customer what legal effect the document will have.

Requests Wells cannot complete online—or cannot perform at all

Some requests need more than additional checking. Wells must refuse or stop when the requested act is prohibited, the required conditions are not satisfied, or Krystle cannot complete the act lawfully and reliably.

Examples include:

• Certifying a copy of a birth or death certificate. Pennsylvania notaries may not issue certified copies of vital records. The customer must obtain an official certified copy from the government agency that holds the record. This rule is explained more fully in “Does This Need Notarization?”
• Certifying a copy of a U.S. Naturalization Certificate, a government record marked “do not copy” or “illegal to copy,” or another record that law prohibits copying or certifying.
• Issuing an apostille, authentication, or consular certification. Wells may perform an eligible underlying notarial act, but an apostille or authentication is issued afterward by the appropriate government authority. The destination decides what form of authentication it requires.
• Performing the act while Krystle is outside Pennsylvania. A Pennsylvania remote notary must be physically inside Pennsylvania at the time of the act.
• Proceeding when an international signer or record does not satisfy Pennsylvania’s foreign-location conditions. If the signer is outside the United States, the record must have the required connection to a U.S. court, agency, jurisdiction, property, or transaction, and the act must not be prohibited where the signer is located.
• Using an ordinary video call or unsupported platform. Zoom, FaceTime, email, text, or a prerecorded video alone does not satisfy Pennsylvania’s approved-technology requirements for RON.
• Proceeding when identity cannot be established. Wells cannot bypass an expired or unsupported credential, failed identity proofing, an unclear credential image, a platform failure, or another unresolved identity problem.
• Notarizing without the signer personally appearing and participating. Another person cannot complete the appointment, answer security questions, or sign for the customer unless lawful representative authority and the requested notarial act support that process.
• Backdating, postdating, or creating a false notarial record. The certificate must show the date and facts of the act actually performed.
• Proceeding when the signature is not knowing and voluntary or when competence, capacity, coercion, or willingness cannot be resolved.
• Notarizing Krystle’s own signature or acting where a prohibited direct or financial conflict exists.
• Choosing the document, legal wording, notarial act, or legal strategy for the customer. A notary commission does not authorize Wells to draft legal documents, interpret foreign or domestic law, or practice law.
• Proceeding with a foreign-language or translated record when Pennsylvania’s communication, translation, verification, and English-certificate requirements cannot be satisfied. An interpreter or verified translation may be required; the notarial certificate must include English.
• Ignoring a recipient’s in-person, paper-original, consular, embassy, court, recorder, lender, or other execution requirement. If the receiving party will not accept RON, Wells cannot make remote notarization acceptable by adding a seal.

This is not an exhaustive list of every document or circumstance that could be ineligible. Screening is based on the actual request. When Wells declines a request, that does not necessarily mean the underlying document is invalid; it may mean that Wells cannot lawfully perform the requested act, the online method is unsuitable, or another official or professional must handle the next step.

What to verify before booking

Use this short screening checklist:

1. Ask the recipient. Will it accept a document remotely notarized by a Pennsylvania notary using an approved platform?
2. Confirm the document instructions. Does the document allow electronic signing, and does it identify the required notarial act or certificate?
3. Disclose your location. Tell Wells where you will physically be during the appointment.
4. Check identification. Make sure the ID is current, readable, and supported by the platform.
5. Check technology. Confirm the device, browser, camera, microphone, internet connection, and email access.
6. Arrange required participants. Every signer and any required witness must be available and eligible. Wells does not supply third-party witnesses.
7. Do not pre-complete restricted portions. Follow the document’s and notary’s signing instructions. Do not backdate, alter, or conceal information.
8. Allow time. Identity verification or document review may reveal an issue that cannot lawfully or technically be repaired during the appointment.

If the recipient cannot answer whether it accepts RON, that uncertainty belongs to the transaction—not to the notary. Wells can explain its process but cannot guarantee another party’s acceptance.

Why Wells offers evening online appointments

Many customers need a notary after work, after their children are settled, or when coordinating with someone in another time zone. Online appointments remove the need to travel across town or search for an open office late in the day.

Wells Notary Service offers remote online notarization during its published evening and weekend hours, with limited late-night remote availability when scheduling permits.

The goal is not to make the legal requirements disappear. It is to make a lawful, eligible notarization more accessible beyond the traditional nine-to-five.

If your document is prepared, the required notarial act is identified, and the recipient accepts RON, Wells can screen the request and help you complete an eligible online notarization. Remote Online Notarization is presented as starting at $25. Pricing must distinguish the applicable Pennsylvania statutory notarial fee from any disclosed remote, electronic, administrative, or service charge as legally permitted. No notarial fee is charged for a notarial act that is not performed.

Related Wells resources

• Online Notary
• View Pricing
• Does This Need Notarization?
• Documents Hub