For anyone who knows the pain of having to look for a public notary, you may be interested in the new Notarize app that just hit the App Store today. Users can actually get documents legally notarized conveniently from the iPhone. Here’s how it works:
Thanks to a law passed in 2011 by the state of Virginia, certified Virginian notaries can complete remote notarization using live video calls. Notarize takes advantage of this and other related laws to create a seamless notarization process. Without having to search for or wait in lines for public notaries, users can quickly notarize documents from anywhere with an iPhone and an Internet connection.
Here’s how Notarize explains it:
Notarize simplifies the notarization process by allowing users to upload their own documents over email, cloud services like Dropbox, or any app that supports iOS document sharing. Each document notarization costs $25, and both public and private institutions will accept documents notarized out-of-state. Notarize even provides a contact email just in case they don’t.
Furthermore, a document remotely notarized in Virginia is valid across state lines due to the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the United States Constitution and state laws that specifically address and accept out of state notarizations. Notarize leverages these and other laws to offer people and businesses the ability to legally notarize documents electronically, from anywhere.
Once the document has been uploaded, Notarize users prove their identity by taking a picture of a government issued photo ID. Then utilizing Confirm’s ID verification system, documents can be validated within seconds. After that, the users are connected over live video (similar to a FaceTime or Skype video call) to the notary agent where they are assisted the rest of the way.
