If you’ve ever found yourself needing notarization of documents, you understand that the process is quite tiring. Finding a notary is growing difficult, and the time to visit a notary might be even harder.

But not anymore! As the world is becoming more digital. And that means traditional notarial ceremony using ink and paper is going digital too, which has confused many, including notaries. In most cases, people have a basic understanding of notarization versus electronic notarization. However, people frequently become confused when the terms “remote,” “online,” and “digital” come to light. And that’s why we’re here to break down what each one means and what the differences are?

Let’s get to it!

The Difference Between Electronic Vs. Remote Vs. Online Notary

Although there may be differences between these types of notaries, their overall purpose is the same. You must first learn the basics to grasp all these notarization methods.

What is a Notary Public?

A notary is a public servant appointed by the state which witnesses and signs important documents.

A traditional notary public is among the most popular kind. You can find them in banks, shipping companies, law firms, etc., which have a conventional notary seal. Notary publics like these usually have fixed hours, so you’ll have to work around their schedule.

Now, having done the basics, let’s look at the three common methods to get a document notarized.

• Mobile Notary

A traditional notary who travels for clients to perform notarial acts is a mobile notary. Sometimes a traveling notary public is used to refer to a mobile notary. They come to you, so you won’t have to worry about figuring out “where to find a notary,” but it will still need to be scheduled.

However, mobile notaries can add additional fees for travel and other related costs, in contrast to traditional notaries, which are limited to a fixed fee. So, in the end, you will need to cover their travel expenses and convenience charges.

Benefits Of Mobile Notary

Below are some of the top benefits of hiring a mobile notary:

• There is no need to search for the notary public and schedule appointments. Instead, you can ask the professional notary to come to you.
• It’s not easy for everybody to take time out of their day to find a traditional notary public. But by using the services of a mobile notary, you can schedule a mobile service to visit you outside of business hours.
• Often, a traditional notary will only offer to travel or provide services after hours only for an exorbitant fee. But by choosing one whose service is already available after working hours, you avoid any premium charges.

• Electronic Or eNotary

When everyone involved (i.e., notary, signer, and all other parties) is present, and a document needs to be notarized, this process is known as electronic notarization. Electronic notarization replaces paper with electronic gadgets, regular ink signature is replaced by eSeals, and signers may use a stylus to apply their signature. This means that any unauthorized attempts to alter the document will become evident.

Benefits Of Electronic Notarization

Getting a document notarized online has its perks, such as:

• The entire process of notarizing electronically is simple and takes only a few minutes. From the moment you click “notarize now” until your document is ready for download, it hardly takes ten minutes.
• You don’t need to travel or make an appointment to notarize documents online. A notary public online is easily accessible.
• Online notarization is more secure than in-person because the online method adds an extra layer of security through identity-proofing methods like identity verification and knowledge-based authentication.

• Remote Online Notary

Remote Online Notary (also called Online Notary) is a state-licensed notary public approved to carry out notarizations remotely through a two-way audio-video technology.

An online Notary can perform notarizations anytime and anywhere using devices such as laptops, tablets, or even smartphones. There’s no need for the notary to be physically present with the signer and all other parties.

Benefits Of Online Notarization

Below are some notable benefits online notarization offers over the other methods:

• Unlike the traditional notary process that requires physical presence, clients can get their documents notarized in mere minutes through online notarization.
• With paper-based procedures, you’re more likely to make mistakes. But, the software used for online notarization highlights the incomplete or incorrect fields. So, clients have no chance of making common mistakes.
• Since both the clients and notaries no longer have to travel, notaries can certify more documents faster, while clients can have their work done quickly.

Conclusion

Notarized documents are often the final hurdle standing between a person and a major milestone, and that’s why understanding service options are so important. Luckily, now that you’ve read this guide, we assume you’re clear on any misunderstandings and will be able to quickly notarize your documents so you can proceed with whatever matter you’re handling.

Have any important documents you’d like notarized? Consider contacting United Mobile Notary – a reputable and reliable mobile notary platform!