If you have a document that needs notarizing right now, chances are you are staring at two very different options. You can walk into an office – or find a nearby notary – and sign the paper in front of someone in person. Or you can do the entire thing from a video call, sign your name electronically, and have the whole thing recorded. That second option is a Remote Online Notary, and in New York State it is not some brand-new experiment. It has been running under state law since 2021, and by 2026 the technology is mature enough that most people do not even think of it as unusual.
So why is there still confusion about which one to use? Because “remote” and “in person” are not just two delivery methods for the same thing. They are governed by different rules, they suit different people, and they can even change which documents are possible at all. This post walks through the real differences, the way I explain them to clients, and how to decide which one fits your situation.
What “In Person” Notarizing Actually Means
Let us start with the version most people know, because it is the baseline.
In New York, an in-person notarial act happens when the person signing the document (we call them the signer or the principal) is physically in the same room as the notary. The notary must verify the signer’s identity – typically through a recognized ID like a driver’s license or passport, or through the personal knowledge of the notary or of a competent witness. Then the signer signs, and the notary completes the notarial certificate: the date, the venue, the acknowledgment or oath, and the notary’s signature and seal.
A few things are worth calling out because they matter more than people realize:
- The signer and the notary must be in the same physical place. No screens, no phone calls.
- The signer signs the actual document being notarized. If it is a paper document, it is paper. If it is a digital file the notary is handling in person, the signature still happens on a record the notary can see.
- The notary keeps a journal of the act. New York requires notaries to maintain a journal.
The fee side is simple and well known. Under New York law, a notary public may charge a flat fee for most in-person notarial acts: two dollars for an acknowledgment or an oath. This is the cap the state sets for a standard act, and it is why in-person notarizing is usually cheap – often free at a bank where you have an account, and a small fee elsewhere.
That “same room” requirement is the whole game. Everything about in-person notarizing flows from the fact that the notary has to be looking at you while you sign.
What a Remote Online Notary Does Differently
A Remote Online Notarization (or RON) is a notarial act performed by a New York notary public who is physically in New York, over an audio-video connection, with a signer who can be anywhere – in the next room across town, in another state, or even outside the United States.
That “anywhere” is the key word. Under New York’s remote online notary law, the notary must be physically present in the state of New York at the time of the act, but the signer’s location does not matter. A client in Buffalo can sign from a friend’s house in Vermont. A New York signer traveling for work can complete the act from an airport in Florida. Someone living abroad with a New York document can often finish it without a single round trip.
Here is how a typical RON session unfolds, because it is much more structured than a video call:
- Scheduling and identity setup. The signer books a time and starts a guided process. Before the video call, the platform usually runs identity proofing – matching the signer’s government ID against a database and confirming the photo.
- The audio-video session. The signer and the notary appear on a live video call. The notary verifies the signer, explains the act, and watches the signer sign electronically. The signer’s identity and intent are confirmed in real time.
- Electronic signature. The signer signs the document electronically. The signature is tied to the document and to the signer in a way that shows it was made by that person at that time.
- Recording. The entire session is recorded – the video and audio. New York’s rules require that the recording be kept, and under the state’s framework the notary retains the record for a set period (ten years under the RON regulations).
- Completion and delivery. The signed, notarized document is stored, time-stamped, and delivered to the signer, usually in a digital form that can be shared, printed, or filed.
The fee is different here too. While in-person acts carry that two-dollar cap, New York authorizes a separate fee for electronic (remote) notarial services, set through state regulation. The standard RON fee you will see is twenty-five dollars per notarial act, and that figure is an all-in kind of charge: it covers the technology, the identity-proofing system, the recording, and the notary’s professional service. So RON costs more than a walk-up in-person notarization – and that is normal, not a hidden markup.
The Big Practical Differences, Side by Side
Let us put the two options next to each other the way I lay it out for clients. The differences cluster around a handful of themes.
Where you have to be. In-person: the same room as the notary. Remote: anywhere, as long as you have a device, a camera, and a stable connection. This single difference drives most of the rest.
What the signer signs. In-person: the physical document in front of them (or the specific record the notary sees). Remote: an electronic signature on a digital record, captured on camera.
Cost. In-person: typically the two-dollar statutory cap (often free with a bank relationship). Remote: about twenty-five dollars per act, which bundles the technology and recording.
Speed and scheduling. In-person: you are bound by the notary’s physical availability and, for mobile notaries, by their travel. Remote: sessions can be scheduled quickly, often with shorter waits, and there is no commute for either side.
What gets kept. Both keep a record. In-person, that is the notary’s journal. Remote, that is the audio-video recording, which is the legal backbone of the act.
Who is comfortable. In-person: anyone, no technology required. Remote: anyone who can join a video call – but it is a poor fit for a signer with little comfort using a device, a poor connection, or a document that specifically requires wet ink.
Documents that fit. This is the one that surprises people. Some documents work perfectly remotely. Others – because of their own legal requirements, witness rules, or the needs of the receiving office – are better (or required) to be done in person.
Who Should Choose Remote Online Notarization
I see the following clients do genuinely better with a RON:
The mobile client. If you cannot easily get to an office – because of distance, mobility, a tight day, or being between homes – remote removes the entire travel problem. This is the most common reason people pick RON.
The out-of-state or traveling signer. A New York document, but you are not in New York. Or a document that touches a signer who lives somewhere else. Remote solves what used to be a two-week mailing loop.
The multi-party situation. When several people must sign and they are in different places, in-person becomes a coordination nightmare. Remote lets everyone complete their own act on their own schedule.
The deadline-driven act. Need to notarize something tonight, or tomorrow before a filing? Remote sessions are easier to turn around quickly.
The client who values a permanent video record. The audio-video recording of a RON is a strong, time-stamped record of exactly what happened. For some people and some documents, that is a feature, not just a formality.
Who Should Choose In-Person Notarization
And here is the other side – the people and documents where in-person is the cleaner, safer choice:
The technology-uncomfortable signer. If joining a video call, uploading an ID, and signing on a screen will cause more stress than the act saves, in-person is kinder. Nothing about a remote session is wrong – it just needs a signer who can work with the tools.
Documents that require wet ink. Some filings, some courts, and some specific transactions still want or need a physical signed document with a traditional signature and seal. If the receiving office expects paper, do the in-person version.
Documents that need witnesses or specific execution formalities. Not everything is a simple acknowledgment. Some acts have witness requirements or must be executed in a particular way that a remote platform is not the natural fit for. When in doubt, confirm whether the specific document supports remote execution.
Certified copies and certain record-based acts. Some notarial acts that depend on the notary examining an original public record, or producing a physical certified copy, are more straightforward face to face.
The client who simply prefers it. A notarization is a formal, sometimes emotional moment – signing a deed, a power of attorney, a trust-related act. If you want a human in the room, that is a completely valid reason. New York law even protects you here: a business may not force you to use electronic notarization exclusively. You can choose in person.
What Changed by 2026 (and What Has Not)
Because the title says “in 2026,” it is worth being honest about where the ground has shifted.
What has changed for the better: the platforms are smoother, identity proofing is faster and more reliable, and the “will my ID get flagged?” anxiety has dropped. More signers – including older ones – are comfortable joining a video call now. The idea of signing a notarial act from a phone is not exotic anymore.
What has not changed: the underlying legal structure. New York still requires the notary to be in the state, the recording to be kept, the identity to be proven, and the act to be performed by a properly commissioned (and, for remote, properly registered) notary. The two-dollar in-person fee cap and the separate electronic fee both still apply. And the rule that certain document types or receiving offices still want wet ink has not gone away.
The practical takeaway: remote is more available and more comfortable in 2026 than it was three years ago, which quietly expands who it is a good fit for. But it has not become the default for every document. It is one excellent tool, and in-person is another.
How to Decide: A Simple Framework
When a client asks me “which should I use,” I usually answer with a short set of questions. You can run through them yourself:
- Can you reliably join a video call right now? If you have a working device, camera, and connection – and you are comfortable – you clear the main technical bar.
- Is the document eligible to be done remotely? If the signer is out of state, if the document is a simple acknowledgment or oath, remote is almost certainly fine. If the document requires wet ink or specific witnesses, lean in-person.
- Where is the signer physically? In New York and near a notary? In-person is easy and cheap. Far away or out of state? Remote saves the trip.
- Is there a deadline? A tight or same-day deadline favors remote scheduling.
- Is anyone else signing? Multiple signers in different places favor remote.
- Do you or the receiving office prefer paper? Then in-person.
Most of the time, the answer to question two is what tips the scale. Everything else is convenience.
What I See Clients Struggle With
A few patterns come up in my practice that are worth naming, because they save people an awkward call:
Assuming remote is always cheaper or always more expensive. It is a different, bundled fee. In-person has the two-dollar cap; remote has the ~twenty-five-dollar all-in fee. Both are lawful. The choice is about fit.
Not checking whether their specific document supports remote. This is the most common mistake. A simple acknowledgment of a personal affidavit? Almost always remote-friendly. A document the recorder or a court specifically wants in paper, or one with extra witness formalities? Confirm first. When in doubt, ask the receiving office or your attorney what they will accept.
Signing a remote act with a shaky connection. A dropped video session is not the end of the world, but it delays the act. A stable connection, good light, and a government ID ready to show make the difference between a smooth two-minute process and a frustrating re-do.
Forgetting that the notary must be in New York. If you hired a remote notary who is “in another state” for the whole session, stop. Under New York’s remote online notary law, the New York notary must be physically in New York at the time of the act. That is a rule that protects the validity of what you are signing.
Thinking the video recording is just a nicety. It is not. The recording is the legal backbone of a remote act and is kept under state rules. It is why the process feels more formal than a casual call – and why the result is solid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a remote online notarization legally valid in New York? Yes. New York has authorized remote online notarial acts under state law, performed by notaries who are physically in the state, with the signer able to be anywhere. The act is valid when done correctly, and the audio-video recording is kept as required.
Can I use a remote notary if I am not in New York? Often, yes. Under New York’s remote online notary framework, it is the notary who must be physically in New York, not the signer. So a signer in another state (or even abroad, depending on the document) can complete a New York remote notarial act. Confirm your specific document supports it.
Does it cost more than in-person? Generally, yes. In-person acts carry a low statutory fee (two dollars for an acknowledgment or oath), while remote acts carry a higher bundled fee (commonly about twenty-five dollars) that covers the technology, identity proofing, and recording. You are paying for the convenience and the record, not for the signature alone.
What do I need for a remote session? A device with a camera and microphone, a stable internet connection, a government-issued photo ID, and the document you want notarized. The platform walks you through identity proofing before the video call.
Can I choose in-person even if a remote option is offered? Yes. A business may not require you to use electronic notarization exclusively. If you prefer to sign face to face, that is your right, and you can always opt for the in-person act.
What documents are a good fit for remote? Simple acknowledgments, oaths, and affidavits are the cleanest remote candidates. Documents that need wet ink, specific witnesses, or that a particular office or court wants in paper are better handled in person. If a document has special execution rules, confirm first.
How quickly can a remote notary do it? Remote sessions are usually easier to schedule quickly than a mobile in-person visit, and there is no travel time. For a straightforward act, you can often get it done the same day, depending on availability and your connection.
Final Thoughts
There is no single “better” choice between remote online and in-person notarization – there is only the choice that fits your document, your location, and your comfort level.
If you are in New York and close to a notary, and your document is ordinary, in-person is fast, familiar, and cheap. If you are far away, out of state, juggling several signers, working against a deadline, or simply want the permanent video record, remote is the stronger fit – and by 2026 it is a smooth, well-supported option, not a gamble.
My advice, the same I give every client: start by checking whether your specific document supports remote execution, then let your location and deadline decide. If you are ever unsure, ask the office that will receive the document what form of notarization they will accept. That single question solves most of the rest.
Disclaimer: This post is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or notarial advice. Rules, fees, and document requirements change, so confirm the details that apply to your specific document with a qualified New York notary or attorney.