{"id":2347,"date":"2016-03-31T21:13:46","date_gmt":"2016-04-01T01:13:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/?p=2347"},"modified":"2016-03-31T21:25:41","modified_gmt":"2016-04-01T01:25:41","slug":"online-notarization-for-non-u-s-citizens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/archives\/2347","title":{"rendered":"Online Notarization for Non-U.S. citizens abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-2348 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/virginia_Seal.jpg?resize=163%2C163&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"virginia_Seal\" width=\"163\" height=\"163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/virginia_Seal.jpg?w=300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/virginia_Seal.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/virginia_Seal.jpg?resize=50%2C50&amp;ssl=1 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 163px) 100vw, 163px\" \/>I am a notary within the confines of the Commonwealth\u00a0of Virginia. \u00a0I follow various Notarization topics with some interest. \u00a0A few years back, there was a proposed amendment to the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.uniformlaws.org\/shared\/docs\/notarial_acts\/rulona_final_10.pdf\">RULONA<\/a>). \u00a0This amendment, in its current modified state, would allow an abroad, Non-U.S. Citizen to contact a U.S. based notary and request a notarial act using remote audio\/video technology. \u00a0The <a href=\"http:\/\/members.usnotaries.net\/news.asp?AssetID=1147\">American Association of Notaries<\/a>\u00a0 (AAN) opposes this amendment.<\/p>\n<p>For more history on this, I refer you to a <a href=\"http:\/\/apps.americanbar.org\/dch\/thedl.cfm?filename=\/IC916000\/sitesofinterest_files\/Survey_Findings_on_Practical_Aspects_of_Notarial_Services.pdf\">survey dated 9\/26\/2009<\/a> from the U.S. Lawyers Abroad Committee. \u00a0In the survey, there are several lawyers who indicate a need for such service in remote areas abroad. \u00a0I do not question the need for service. \u00a0But there are methods already in place, they are called embassies and consulates. \u00a0I support\u00a0the AANs efforts to stop this bill. \u00a0The reasons stated by the AAN are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>An individual known by the U.S. Government cannot utilize services found in a U.S. consulate. \u00a0The use of remote technology in areas where fake identifications are easily produced, and hard to detect, is undesirable. \u00a0In addition, a terrorist could convince a trusted third party to identify him for the notary.<\/li>\n<li>Citizens who have committed crimes and have seeked refuge in foreign lands would be able to conduct business. \u00a0This act would open the doors for various types of fraudulent activity. \u00a0The National Security Council has stated that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/administration\/eop\/nsc\/transnational-crime\/threat\">transnational organized crime<\/a> poses a significant threat to our security.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>What surprised me is that the banks do not support this amendment either. \u00a0Common sense dictates that this amendment would reduce costs for the banks, but surprisingly\u00a0the banks still do not support it. \u00a0The drive behind the amendment appears to be the technology companies, who stand to gain a large revenue stream\u00a0(in the area of $20 Million) which is currently out of their reach. \u00a0Of the roughly 200,000 notarial acts\u00a0performed by U.S. consulates worldwide last year, there were no reported problems.<\/p>\n<p>Currently only <a href=\"http:\/\/www.uniformlaws.org\/Act.aspx?title=Law%20on%20Notarial%20Acts,%20Revised\">six\u00a0states<\/a> have enacted the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (RULONA). Virginia is not one of them. \u00a0The <a href=\"http:\/\/members.usnotaries.net\/news.asp?AssetID=1127\">AAN does not support RULONA<\/a> as it stands now and provides recommendations while also pointing out the acts shortcomings. \u00a0The National Notary Association (NNA) <a href=\"http:\/\/www.uniformlaws.org\/Shared\/Docs\/RULONA_Letter%20from%20NNA_Reiser_031011.pdf\">supports passage of RULONA<\/a>. \u00a0There are real concerns with providing remote Notarial Acts. \u00a0Several issues were raised In a <a href=\"http:\/\/members.usnotaries.net\/files\/NASS-MEMO-WEB.pdf\">memo by the Uniform Law Commission<\/a>\u00a0pertaining to various aspects of updating RULONA.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>While some may take their duties lightly; not I. \u00a0I am entrusted by the Commonwealth of Virginia to perform my due diligence when notarizing a signature, a duty I do not take lightly. I serve at the pleasure of the Secretary of the Commonwealth. \u00a0A notary acts as an official, unbiased witness to the identity and signature of the person coming before the notary. \u00a0The number one rule is to be certain that the person appearing before the notary is who that person claims to be. \u00a0Generally speaking, a notary is restricted to the state in which they are commissioned in. Please see the <a href=\"https:\/\/commonwealth.virginia.gov\/media\/3042\/2014-july-handbook-final.pdf\">Handbook for Virginia Notaries Public<\/a> for more detailed information. \u00a0One of the privileges I have as a notary in Virginia: I am not required to perform the notarial act. \u00a0What I mean is, if for any reason I suspect the individual is not who they claim to be, or I have reservations (that little hair in the back of your neck) about the notarial act, I will not sign. \u00a0Although the Commonwealth of Virginia does not require a journal. \u00a0I keep one, both for my protection, and yours.<\/p>\n<p>I am currently looking into Electronic notarization (which is different from the remote notarization above). \u00a0There are two reasons why I want to pursue this:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>All electronic notarial acts performed by Virginia electronic notaries are deemed to have been performed within the Commonwealth of Virginia and are governed by Virginia law.<\/li>\n<li>Virginia electronic notaries also have limited extraterritorial powers. An electronic notary public may perform any authorized notarial act outside of the Commonwealth for any writing intended to be used in the Commonwealth of Virginia or by the United States government.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>I enjoy being a notary, and I no longer seek to become a signing agent; it&#8217;s just not worth the hassle of &#8220;getting in.&#8221; \u00a0If you reside within the Commonwealth of Virginia, and need a notary (other than real estate transactions) , feel free to <a href=\"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/about-me\/contact-me\">contact me<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I am a notary within the confines of the Commonwealth\u00a0of Virginia. \u00a0I follow various Notarization topics with some interest. \u00a0A few years back, there was a proposed amendment to the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (RULONA). \u00a0This amendment, in &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/archives\/2347\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"kt_blocks_editor_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1,16],"tags":[68,80,113,77],"class_list":["post-2347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-rants-raves","tag-crime","tag-duty","tag-notary","tag-va"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15097,"url":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/archives\/15097","url_meta":{"origin":2347,"position":0},"title":"Who\u2019s Responsible for the Political Violence??","author":"DR D","date":"September 21, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Strap in boys and girls, this is gonna be a long one!\u00a0 For the past few days, ok, the last week or so, I\u2019ve been in heavy discussion with my cat on the issue of free speech, or, in my opinion, the slippery slope of its erosion.\u00a0 I am of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/archives\/category\/politics"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Constitution, I read it for the Articles","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/20140812_130401-e1758501508584.jpg?fit=700%2C475&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/20140812_130401-e1758501508584.jpg?fit=700%2C475&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/20140812_130401-e1758501508584.jpg?fit=700%2C475&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/20140812_130401-e1758501508584.jpg?fit=700%2C475&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15061,"url":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/archives\/15061","url_meta":{"origin":2347,"position":1},"title":"In-Decision 2024 \u2013 Presidential Election 2024","author":"DR D","date":"October 17, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, my cat was telling me to start writing again.\u00a0 So, to shut him up; I\u2019m stealing the name of a segment from the \u201cDaily Show,\u201d as I\u2019m sure you\u2019re aware, it sums up this year\u2019s election cycle quite nicely. As you all know, one of the primary purposes of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/archives\/category\/politics"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/2013-11-05_08-28-25_109.jpg?fit=688%2C689&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/2013-11-05_08-28-25_109.jpg?fit=688%2C689&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/2013-11-05_08-28-25_109.jpg?fit=688%2C689&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15065,"url":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/archives\/15065","url_meta":{"origin":2347,"position":2},"title":"Virginia vs. the Fed\u2026. Who\u2019s got the better case?","author":"DR D","date":"October 26, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Recently, the governor of Virginia, Glen Younkin, ordered the removal of 1600+ individuals from Virginia\u2019s voting roster.\u00a0 These 1600+ people were previously identified, and are known non-citizens.\u00a0 According to the governor\u2019s press secretary, \u201c\u2026everyone who was removed from the voter roll [has] 14 days to come back and demonstrate that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/archives\/category\/politics"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/virginia_Seal.jpg?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1121,"url":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/archives\/1121","url_meta":{"origin":2347,"position":3},"title":"Keeping the Roads Safe for Democracy","author":"John Sweeney","date":"August 2, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Last month my daughter\u2019s car had its Virginia \u201csafety inspection\u201d.\u00a0 It failed. It\u2019s probably good that the law protects us from people like my daughter and her unsafe vehicle.\u00a0 I mean, what if her brakes fail, or her bald tires don\u2019t have adequate traction, or the boot covering her CV\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/archives\/category\/politics"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2347"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2355,"href":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2347\/revisions\/2355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}