Earlier this year, the District of Columbia Council enacted legislation that would enable the district to adopt rules to allow remote online notarizations. Bill B24-0457 was passed by the DC Council in July but did not become effective until recently at the end of September after the expiration of the required congressional review period.
While this law enables the Mayor of DC to adopt rules that would allow for full remote online notarizations, the law itself only allows for a remote ink-signed notarization with a tangible record, and allows for DC notaries to certify electronic copies of a tangible record.
The specific process allowed by the legislation involves the notary observing the signature on a tangible record remotely, the submission of the record to the notary via USPS mail or other commercial carrier, and the completion of the notarization by the notary on the tangible record. This process does not allow for use of an electronic record in the notarization or submission to the notary electronically. For a document that is signed outside of the presence of the notary, a special declaration by the signer must also be made.
Other provisions of the law allow the Mayor to adopt rules that would provide for a remote online notarizations, with attention paid to the rules and processes adopted for remote notarizations in other states. DocMagic will continue to monitor any developments in DC for remote notarizations.
