Remote Online Notarization (RON) by State: Where You Can Notarize a Contract Online (2026)

The large majority of jurisdictions have RON running today. The rest split into states with no electronic remote option and states that passed a law but haven't launched it.

Every Midwest state allows RON. Most of the gaps sit in the Northeast (Connecticut, Massachusetts) and the South (Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina). In the West, only California is still out.

Virginia went first in 2011, and by 2017 only Montana, Nevada and Texas had joined it. Today NASS counts 47 states plus DC with a remote e-notarization law, so most states adopted theirs after 2017.

States where RON is not yet available, and why (as of June 2026)

Source: National Notary Association, What Is A Remote Online Notary? (with 'State of Remote Online Notarization (RON)' map); California Legislature (text via LegiScan), SB 696 (Notaries public: online notarization), chaptered text; North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Emergency Video Notarization; Connecticut Secretary of the State, Notary Public Licensing. Download as image

Cost to add remote online notary authority, selected states

Source: Arizona Secretary of State, Remote & eNotary; Oklahoma Secretary of State, Notary Public fees; Utah Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Remote Notary Application. Download as image

Remote online notarization (RON) status by state

• 42RON allowed
• 3Enacted, not yet available
• 5RON not allowed

Which states allow remote online notarization in 2026?

According to the National Notary Association's June 2026 map, notaries can perform RON in 43 jurisdictions: 42 states plus the District of Columbia. That covers big business states like Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Ohio, so most people already have access to a local online notary.

You may also see a higher figure. The National Association of Secretaries of State says 47 states and DC have a law allowing remote electronic notarization. Both numbers are correct. NASS counts laws on the books, including ones that aren't operating yet and remote laws that only cover paper documents. The NNA count is the one that tells you whether a notary can actually do an online session for you today.

The details also vary inside the allowed group. Colorado limits remote notarization to electronic records. Alaska notaries must send a written request to the Lieutenant Governor first. Utah notaries pay a $50 application fee and add a $5,000 bond rider. None of that changes your experience much as a signer, but it explains why not every notary in an allowed state offers online sessions.

Which states don't allow online notarization yet?

Five states don't allow RON. Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina haven't passed a law authorizing it. Alabama and Connecticut have remote notarization laws, but the NNA notes they cover paper documents only, so you won't get a fully electronic online session from a notary commissioned there.

Three more states have passed laws that aren't running yet. California's online notarization starts when the Secretary of State certifies its technology project, and no later than January 1, 2030 unless that date gets pushed back. Massachusetts notaries are waiting on training and application procedures. North Carolina hasn't launched its Remote Electronic Notarization program, though its Emergency Video Notarization option runs until July 1, 2027 or until the first REN license is issued.

Can I use an online notary from another state?

Often, yes. What matters is where the notary is commissioned and sitting, not where you live. Florida's law, for example, lets an online notary physically located in Florida notarize for signers located elsewhere, and several other states use similar wording about a "remotely located individual."

That's how people in California or Georgia get documents notarized online today. They book a session with a notary commissioned in a RON state, sign electronically, and receive a notarized electronic document.

The harder question is whether the person receiving the document will accept it. A county recorder, a lender, a title company or a foreign agency can have its own rules. Real estate deeds and documents headed overseas are the usual trouble spots. Before you pay for a session, ask the receiving party in writing: "Will you accept a remote online notarization performed by a notary commissioned in another state?" A yes in an email saves you a redo, and it gives you something to point to if a clerk later questions the seal.

What does RON mean for freelancers and small businesses?

Most everyday contracts don't need a notary at all. A freelance agreement, a client services contract or a software subscription is usually valid once both sides sign, and an e-signature works fine for that. Notarization comes up when a document needs proof of who signed it: affidavits, some powers of attorney, certain lease guarantees, vehicle or property transfers, and some bank or loan paperwork.

If you run a small business, RON mostly saves time. A co-owner traveling for work can sign an ownership transfer or a lender form from a hotel room. A remote contractor can sign an affidavit for a client without hunting for a bank branch. Turnaround drops from days to the length of a video call, and nobody has to take an afternoon off to find a notary with open hours.

Cost is usually modest. Among states that cap RON fees, $25 is the most common maximum. Arizona goes lower: it caps every notary fee at $10 per act, remote ones included. Platforms may add their own charges on top, so check the total price before you start.

How do you notarize a contract online, step by step?

• Confirm the document actually requires notarization. Read the signature block and any clause that says signatures must be "acknowledged" or "notarized."
• Ask whoever will receive it whether they accept remote online notarization, and from which states.
• Pick a platform or notary commissioned in a RON state. If the notary's state limits RON to electronic records, make sure your document is a fillable PDF or similar.
• Have a valid government photo ID ready. Expect identity questions and an ID scan before the call starts.
• Don't sign ahead of time. You sign during the session while the notary watches.
• Use a quiet room, a working camera and a stable connection. The session is usually recorded and kept by the notary.
• Download the finished file right away and keep the electronic version. The tamper-evident digital seal lives in that file, and a printout is only a copy.

What should you do if your state isn't on the list?

Living in a state without RON doesn't stop you from using it, as long as the notary is commissioned somewhere it's allowed and the recipient agrees. Where it stops you is when the document itself has to be notarized under your state's rules, such as a deed recorded in your county. In that case, book an in-person notary or a mobile notary.

If you're in North Carolina, ask whether Emergency Video Notarization fits your document before July 1, 2027. In California, plan on out-of-state online notaries or in-person signings until the state's system launches. And if a contract you're about to sign says the other side can demand notarized signatures at any time, ask who books it, who pays and how much time you get.

Sources and method

Every number on this page comes from the sources below, each opened and read on or before October 18, 2026. A second, independent review checked every figure against its source and corrected anything that did not match. 50 of 51 state entries were confirmed; any that could not be are marked "Not yet confirmed" and left out of every count and chart.

1. National Notary Association, What Is A Remote Online Notary? (with 'State of Remote Online Notarization (RON)' map) (Map 'Updated: June 2026'; page read via Internet Archive snapshot of 2026-10-05 (direct access blocked))
2. National Association of Secretaries of State, Remote Electronic Notarization (Undated web page, accessed 2026-10-18)
3. California Legislature (text via LegiScan), SB 696 (Notaries public: online notarization), chaptered text (Chapter 291, Statutes of 2023)
4. North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Emergency Video Notarization (Accessed 2026-10-18)
5. Connecticut Secretary of the State, Notary Public Licensing (Accessed 2026-10-18 (notes Public Act 26-81 of May 26, 2026))
6. U.S. Census Bureau, Census Regions and Divisions of the United States (Current reference map)
7. Arizona Secretary of State, Remote & eNotary (Accessed 2026-10-18)
8. Indiana Secretary of State, Notary (INBiz) (Accessed 2026-10-18)
9. Oklahoma Secretary of State, Notary Public fees (Accessed 2026-10-18)
10. Utah Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Remote Notary Application (January 2023 form)