How do you notarize a document online in Florida

Attorney Tom Olsen: We were talking earlier about the ability to notarize documents online with people, and I know that we have that ability here. It takes a certain amount of technology and we have to have a subscription to use that service, but it is really limited because it really is difficult, both on our end and on the client's end, to get it done that way so that when somebody, a client says, oh gosh, we just can't come to the office to sign these documents, well, then the mobile notary is the way to go.

Attorney Chris Merrill: Correct.

Tom: It's a much easier process.

Chris: Correct. I think too, just for the listeners out there, here's the distinction. The distinction is so many people are used to now signing documents electronically from your phone or your computer or your iPad. That's great. What we're referring to here is sometimes, in particular with things that have to be notarized and certain legal documents, they require for you to be seeing them, but more importantly, they require for you, the signer, to go through an authentication process. That's different than just e-signing documents. That's what we're talking about here. When it comes to notarization, you have to, yes, not only e-sign, but you have to go through authentication, and the authentication part is the part that we're talking about that is challenging in particular for the person signing.

Tom: Yes. E-signing documents that don't require witness and notary, easy breezy, we all do it every day. I love that technology.

Chris: Absolutely.

Tom: When we talk about a will that needs to be witnessed and notarized, you're not e-signing there, you're signing in front-- [throat] literally in front of the notary, you're signing in front of the person that's notarizing that document.

Chris: Correct.

Tom: Usually, the clients do that right here at our office, but if they can't travel to our office, we send a mobile notary to their house, very convenient.

Chris: Correct.

Tom: If we really, really have to, we can do an online notarization, but that's a process.

Chris: Exactly.

Tom: It is not easy by any means.

Chris: That's correct.

Tom: When we talk about the online notarization being hard, difficult, cumbersome, tedious, all those words, and I'm thinking, thank goodness because there's enough notary fraud going on out there. They don't need to make it any easier by having online notarizations as another tool for people out there that are always trying to rip people off one way or another. It's good they've made it so hard.

Chris: Absolutely. They're doing it for everybody's protection, and certainly you as the listener, you want to know in particular because we were starting to talk on the radio with the listener about deeds.

Tom: Yes.

Chris: Well, a deed is one of those that, as we all know, more recently there has been deed fraud. In order to protect that, part of this with the notarization part and witnessing, again, like you said, Tom, you want it to be more challenging because you want to make sure that everything is right. It's helping you so that you know your property may not easily just be done with deed fraud. Again, sadly, there are situations out there where people are doing that, and again, we are not ones to scare people by any means. We want people to be aware of what typically would happen, and that is most of the time we're talking about vacant residential buildable lots is where most of the fraud is committed. However, you just never know, and you never know how, again, unfortunately, the scam artists are doing it, but just again, a deed is something that is just very, very important. You want to make sure that from the notarization portion to the witnessing to the deed itself, it is very important that it is perfect.

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