WA Notary Electronic and Remote Online Notarization 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What must a Washington State notary hold before they are eligible to perform electronic notarizations?
- A valid Washington notary commission (Correct answer)
- A separate electronic notary license issued by the Secretary of State
- Federal Electronic Signature certification
- Approval from the county auditor's office
Correct answer: A valid Washington notary commission
A notary must first hold a valid traditional Washington notary commission before being authorized to perform electronic or remote online notarizations.
Question 2: During a remote online notarization (RON) in Washington State, where must the notary be physically located?
- Anywhere in the United States
- Within the state of Washington (Correct answer)
- In the same room as the signer
- At a Secretary of State-approved notarization center
Correct answer: Within the state of Washington
Washington law requires that the notary be physically present within Washington State during any remote online notarization, regardless of where the signer is located.
Question 3: Which identity verification methods are required for remote online notarization (RON) in Washington State?
- Personal knowledge of the signer only
- Credential analysis and knowledge-based authentication (KBA) (Correct answer)
- A sworn statement from a credible witness
- Government-issued photo ID presented physically in person
Correct answer: Credential analysis and knowledge-based authentication (KBA)
Washington RON requires both credential analysis (technology-based ID authentication) and knowledge-based authentication (KBA) to verify a signer's identity.
Question 4: How long must a Washington notary retain the audio-visual recording of a remote online notarization session?
- 1 year
- 5 years
- 7 years
- 10 years (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 10 years
Washington State law requires audio-visual recordings of remote online notarization sessions to be retained for a minimum of 10 years.
Question 5: May the principal (signer) be located outside of Washington State during a remote online notarization performed by a Washington notary?
- No, the signer must be in Washington
- No, the signer must be in the United States
- Yes, the signer may be anywhere in the United States
- Yes, the signer may be located anywhere in the world (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Yes, the signer may be located anywhere in the world
Washington law permits the principal to be located anywhere in the world during a remote online notarization, as long as the notary is physically in Washington.
Question 6: What type of communication technology is required to conduct a remote online notarization in Washington State?
- Telephone conference calls
- Encrypted email with electronic signature attachment
- Real-time audio-visual communication technology (Correct answer)
- Asynchronous video recording submitted by the signer
Correct answer: Real-time audio-visual communication technology
Washington requires remote online notarizations to use real-time audio-visual communication technology so the notary and signer can interact simultaneously.
Question 7: What must electronic notarial certificates include to comply with Washington State law?
- A physical embossed seal impression
- A tamper-evident electronic seal and the notary's electronic signature (Correct answer)
- A wet ink signature from the notary
- A QR code linking to the notary's commission record
Correct answer: A tamper-evident electronic seal and the notary's electronic signature
Electronic notarial certificates must include a tamper-evident electronic seal and the notary's electronic signature to satisfy Washington State requirements.
WA Notary Electronic and Remote Online Notarization 1
What must a Washington State notary hold before they are eligible to perform electronic notarizations?