In 2019, even before the coronavirus pandemic, the Florida legislature passed Florida Statute sections 117.201 to 117.305, which went into effect on January 1, 2020. These provisions authorize Florida notaries to perform online remote notarization, after they complete an application and training course. Therefore, not any notary can do this but instead a remote notary is required by the Florida law. The Florida statute allows for remote online notarization and thus the notary and the person verifying the content of a document are NOT REQUIRED TO BE IN THE SAME ROOM. Further, the online notary’s ability to do this even when the principal is not located in Florida. “Wet” signatures are not required under the statute. An online notary may even notarize an electronic signature. So, yes, you are able to have something notarized virtually now per new Florida laws.
