8.3 Remote Online Notarization (RON)

How a RON Session Flows

Remote Online Notarization replaces physical presence with two-way audio-video communication technology, meaning real-time electronic communication that lets the notary and signer see and hear each other simultaneously. A pre-recorded video, a phone call, or a one-way webcam does not qualify. The exam tests both the sequence and the strict location rule. Here is the standard flow:

The Location Rule (High-Stakes)

This is one of the most-tested RON facts. The notary's authority flows from the NC commission, so the notary must remain within North Carolina throughout. "Anywhere with internet access" and "same state as the signer" are classic wrong answers. A NC notary who travels to another state cannot simply log in and perform a RON act from there; doing so would be notarizing outside the territory of the commission, which is not permitted even though the session is digital.

Layered Identity Proofing

Because the notary cannot inspect a physical ID in hand, RON requires multi-step identity proofing: credential analysis (technology that examines the security features of the government-issued ID) plus knowledge-based authentication (dynamic questions drawn from public and proprietary data the signer must answer correctly). Personal knowledge alone, acceptable for some paper acts, is generally insufficient for RON. KBA typically presents the signer with several timed questions about prior addresses, vehicles, or accounts, and the signer must pass within a limited number of attempts; failing the quiz blocks the session.

If credential analysis or KBA cannot confirm identity, the notary must refuse to proceed rather than substitute a weaker method.

Platform, Recording, and Geolocation

Under the Phase Three rules effective July 1, 2025, RON may only run on a Secretary of State-licensed communication-technology platform. The platform must record the entire session as audio-video and must verify the signer's location by geolocation. The notary must disclose at the outset that NC law requires the session to be recorded. Skipping the disclosure, or stopping the recording mid-session, breaks compliance. The licensed platform also handles credential analysis and KBA, applies tamper-evident technology to the finished document, and stores the recording so it can be retrieved during the retention period.

Because the platform must be licensed and pay the $5,000 annual fee plus the $5 per-act surcharge, using an unlicensed app or a generic video-conferencing tool to perform RON is prohibited even if the technology would otherwise seem adequate.

Documents Excluded from RON

North Carolina carves out sensitive instruments that may not be notarized remotely:

• Self-proved wills
• Codicils
• Revocable or irrevocable trusts
• Documents relating to relinquishment of parental rights
• Certain death-beneficiary forms containing an acknowledgment
• Mail-in absentee ballots

A worked example: a client asks you to RON-notarize the self-proving affidavit on her new will. You must decline — self-proved wills are statutorily excluded. By contrast, real estate deeds, powers of attorney, and ordinary affidavits are permitted, which is why those appear as tempting distractors in exam items.

Why These Documents Are Excluded

The excluded list is not random. North Carolina carved out instruments where the risk of undue influence, fraud, or irrevocable life consequences is highest and where physical presence has long served as a safeguard. Wills, codicils, and trusts dispose of a person's entire estate and are frequent targets of elder financial abuse; relinquishment of parental rights permanently severs a family relationship; absentee ballots implicate election integrity. For these, the legislature decided that the in-person inspection of demeanor and surroundings could not be safely replaced by a video screen.

Knowing the reason helps you reason through unfamiliar exam items: if a document permanently and irreversibly affects family status, estate distribution, or voting, suspect it may be excluded.

Cross-Border Considerations

Because the signer may sit in another state or country, two questions arise. First, the notary must still be in North Carolina. Second, the document and transaction should have a connection to North Carolina or otherwise be one a NC notary may lawfully act on. A signer physically located outside the United States adds further complexity, and notaries should confirm the receiving jurisdiction will accept a NC RON act before proceeding. The platform's geolocation feature exists partly to document where the signer actually was, creating a verifiable record if the location is later questioned.

Fees

Exam Focus

• Notary must be in North Carolina; signer may be elsewhere.
• Platform must be state-licensed, record the session, and use geolocation.
• Identity = credential analysis + KBA.
• Excluded: wills, codicils, trusts, parental-rights, certain beneficiary forms, absentee ballots.
• Max RON fee $25; disclose the recording requirement first.