Mayor Muriel Bowser & Office of the Secretary of the District of

Mayor Muriel Bowser

& Oﬃce of the Secretary of the District of Columbia

Electronic

Notarization

Handbook

Oﬃce of Notary Commissions & Authentications

441 4th Street NW, Suite 810 South

Washington, DC 20001

202-727-3117 (T)

202-727-8457 (F)

https://os.dc.gov/service/notary-commissions

notaryorientation-oath@dc.gov

Foreword...............................................................................................................................................3

The History of the Notaries Public in the District.................................................................4

Requirements to Become an Electronic Notary (E-Notary).............................................5

Beneﬁts of Becoming an Electronic Notary.............................................................................5

How to Obtain an Electronic Notary Endorsement.............................................................6

The Online Application....................................................................................................................6

17 DCMR § 2410. Requirements For Technologies & Technology Providers..............8

Submission and Application Process.........................................................................................9

Required Training for First Time Applicants to Become an E-Notary............................9

Application Fee..................................................................................................................................9

Surety Bond........................................................................................................................................10

Term of E-Notary Endorsement.................................................................................................10

Endorsement Notice/Ordering Supplies................................................................................11

Oath of Oﬃce.....................................................................................................................................11

Overall E-Notarization Process..................................................................................................12

Signature of Individual Having Document Notarized.........................................................13

Electronic Notarial Certiﬁcate and Seal...............................................................................13

Electronic Short Form Certiﬁcate – Jurat, Acknowledgment.......................................14

Electronic Journal Requirements...............................................................................................14

Chargeable Fees...............................................................................................................................15

Identiﬁcation Requirements.........................................................................................................15

Termination of Endorsement.......................................................................................................15

Lost or Stolen Seal or Journal......................................................................................................16

Search for a Notary Public Map Website Feature.............................................................16

Other Information............................................................................................................................16

Additional Resources.......................................................................................................................17

Table Of Contents

The District of Columbia Oﬃce of Notary Commissions and Authentications

(ONCA) Electronic Notarization Handbook (Handbook) is meant for residents

of the District of Columbia who are currently commissioned as a notary public

seeking to receive an endorsement as an e-notary. The requirements to be an

e-notary and conduct an electronic notarization are parallel to the requirements

for notaries.

Electronic notarization (e-notarization) is notarizing a document instead of paper.

The document is on a computer, tablet, or smartphone. To ﬁnalize the document

as an e-notarized document, the notary includes an electronic signature and seal

to the same electronic document. A notary public who is commissioned to

perform e-notarizations is called an e-notary.

E-notaries are required to use tamper evident technology to protect information

and communication. Only intended recipients should read and/or process

documents using tamper-evident technology. As with all notaries public,

e-notaries are also required to keep and maintain an electronic log of all notarial

acts that they perform. E-Notaries cannot notarize documents remotely in

Washington, DC. At present, all parties are required to be present during the

notarization.

This is an endorsement on your commission as a notary public in the District of

Columbia, not a new commission. The beginning date of the endorsement will

be diﬀerent than the beginning date of the commission since you must have

taken the oath as a notary to become an e-notary. The end date of the

endorsement will be the same as the end date of the commission.

This Handbook builds on the orientation received from the ONCA staﬀ on

becoming a District of Columbia notary public. Topics covered in this Handbook

include the basic requirements to receive an electronic notary endorsement,

the beneﬁts of becoming an e-notary, the application process, and options for

completing the training requirements. Other important areas included are fees,

forms, and equipment needed to successfully perform the duties as an e-notary.

In the District of Columbia, ﬁrst-time applicants for an e-notary endorsement are

required by law to complete training. For e-notarization endorsements, training

Foreword

In the District of Columbia, legislation concerning the city’s charter did not

mention notaries until An Act to Provide Government for the District of

Columbia was enacted in 1871 (the Act). The Act created a legislative assembly

for the District and gave the assembly the authority to provide for the

appointment of notaries. The authority to appoint notaries transferred to the

President in 1878 but was returned to the District in 1944.

ONCA is governed in accordance with the laws and regulations found in

Title 1, Chapter 12A of the District of Columbia Code that was ﬁrst enacted in

1901 and revised in 2018 by the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts Act (§§

1-1231.01 – 1-1231.31 and Title 17, Chapter 24 of the District of Columbia Municipal

Regulations. Pursuant to DC Code§ 1-1231.19(a), the Mayor may appoint citizens

or legal permanent residents, of the United States who are residents of the

District of Columbia or whose primary place of employment of practice is

located in the District as notaries public.

ONCA commissions District of Columbia notaries and authenticates notaries

who have properly notarized documents for domestic and foreign use. ONCA

generates revenue for the Oﬃce through fees for notary public commissions and

authentications.

The History of the Notaries Public in the District

is only oﬀered through outside vendors. Training is required for your initial

e-notary endorsement application. Utilize an Internet search for District of

Columbia providers focused on e-notary training options. This Handbook should

not be considered “training” for compliance purposes. Instead, this Handbook

seeks to provide information in a helpful manner as e-notarization comes online

for residents of the District of Columbia.

Please review the Notary Public Handbook housed on the ONCA website at

https://os.dc.gov/service/notary-commissions to ensure compliance with all

requirements to apply as an e-notary, and with all notarial acts. ONCA makes

every eﬀort to answer anticipated questions, Handbook users should feel free to

call on the expertise of the ONCA staﬀ with any questions that were not

addressed.

As an e-notary, a notary public can notarize documents electronically, and this

can be done on a computer, phone, or tablet; however, the individual must still

personally appear before the notary. The oﬃce has notiﬁed vendors capable

of providing technology for e-notarization that the District government will be

launching the service soon. Once implemented, the entire process will be digital.

OCNA is an organization within the Oﬃce of the Secretary of the District of

Columbia. ONCA is staﬀed by six full-time equivalents. ONCA is currently

located in the Marion Barry Building at 441 4th Street NW, Suite 810 S, Wash-

ington, DC 20001. The website address is www.os.dc.gov Our email address

is [email protected]ov. Our main telephone number is 202-727-3117. Our fax number

is 202-8457. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday 9 am to 1 pm,

except for holidays.

The authorization granted to an e-notary is not a new commission; it is an

endorsement of your commission as a notary public in the District of Columbia.

You must therefore be a notary public when you apply to become an e-notary or

renew your endorsement as an e-notary. Your application for the endorsement

as an e-notary will be denied unless you have taken the oath of oﬃce as a notary

whether for the ﬁrst time or as a renewal.

All the other requirements for the endorsement as an e-notary are the same as

for a notary public.

Understanding traditional notarization work will beneﬁt you as you seek your

endorsement as an e-notary. An electronic notary continues to conduct all

notarial acts in-person. These notarial acts are called in-person electronic

notarization (IPEN). IPEN will decrease or eliminate paperwork and storage

requirements. However, the transactions, types of documents and requirements

for notarizations are comparable to traditional notarizations.

Requirements to Become an Electronic Notary

(E-Notary)

Beneﬁts of Becoming an Electronic Notary

The Online Application

To apply to become an e-notary or to renew your endorsement as an e-notary,

you must use the online application on our website:

https://os.dc.gov/service/notary-commissions

• On the ONCA website you can ﬁnd the resources needed to apply for a

notary commission and an electronic endorsement as an electronic notary. You

may not apply to become or to renew the endorsement as an e-notary until you

have taken the oath of oﬃce as a notary public.

• Read through the instructions in full and compile all the information needed to

complete the application. The application times out after ﬁve (minutes). There

is no save mode.

• If you hold a current notary public commission, click on the link for the

electronic notary public endorsement application.

https://nap.os.dc.gov/AppNet64/UnityForm.aspx

• If you are applying for an e-notary endorsement and you do not currently have

a notary commission, the e-notary application will be denied. In the District of

Columbia, you must hold a notary commission as a prerequisite to applying for

an electronic notary endorsement.

• The e-notary application will not ask for all the same information that is

required on the notary application as we have that data in our system.

• The type of endorsement will be the same as it is for your notary commission.

If you don’t check oﬀ the correct category, the application will be denied. Be

sure to ensure that your endorsement tracks your commission type.

How to Obtain an Electronic Notary Endorsement

You may also charge more service fees for IPEN, but you will incur more

expenses (see below). Residential notaries may determine that a business case

cannot be supported for an electronic notary endorsement.

• Be sure to put your name, company/agency (if applicable), address,

phone, expiration date of your Commission and default email address as

it appears on your commission, or the e-notary application will be denied.

Your default email address is the email address to which we send all your

notiﬁcations. If this information is not correct, your application will be

denied.

• If you have made any changes to the status of your Commission, such

as a change in employment, or the address of your Commission, phone

number, or email address, or other items during the term of your notary

commission, you must have notiﬁed the ONCA oﬃce before you submit the

e-notary endorsement application. Please use the PDF form on our website

to make this notiﬁcation. https://os.dc.gov/service/notary-commissions

• Our database is case sensitive. The e-notary application will be denied if

you ﬁll out any or all ﬁelds in all capital letters.

• Please do not use abbreviations (MLK, etc.). Use the drop-box provided

for the thoroughfare, (Street, Avenue, etc.) and for the quadrant (NW, NE,

SW, SE).

• If you do not follow the above requirements, your application will be

denied.

• You must use the same email address as on your notary commission

application or the application will be denied.

• If you submit your e-notary endorsement application within four (4)

months or 120 days of the end of your commission as a notary public, your

application will not be accepted. This is done in your interest; to save you

from having to pay the e-notary endorsement application fee twice in a

very limited timeframe. We estimate that the process may take up to two

months (60 days) to complete the e-notary application process and

schedule your oath taking.

• You must submit the name of the technology vendor or software you will

be using to perform electronic notarizations (e-notarizations). You do not

have to purchase the technology prior to becoming eligible to become an

e-notary, but you must notify us of the vendor or software you will use to

ensure the vendor’s technology solution meets the required standards.

We cannot recommend vendors or software, but you may do an Internet

search for “electronic notary standards, DC” or “electronic notary supplies,

DC” to ﬁnd software and vendors. Below are the standards as deﬁned by

the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations:

17 DCMR § 2410. Requirements For Technologies

& Technology Providers

2410.1 A tamper-evident technology shall comply with these rules:

a) A technology provider shall enroll only notaries public who have been issued

an electronic notary endorsement pursuant to Section 2400.

b) A technology provider shall take reasonable steps to ensure that a notary

public who has selected that provider’s technology has the knowledge to use it

to perform electronic notarial acts in compliance with these rules.

c) A tamper-evident technology shall require access to the system by a

password, or other secure means of authentication.

d) A tamper-evident technology shall enable a notary public to aﬃx the notary’s

electronic signature and electronic seal in a manner that attributes such

signature and seal to the notary, and in such a manner that a party that sought

the notary’s signature and seal on one (1) or more documents, or who seeks

access to one (1) or more documents containing that signature and seal, can

detect unauthorized tampering or alteration of the electronic document after it

has been digitally signed by the electronic notary.

As with all purchases, due diligence is the responsibility of the buyer of the

technology. ONCA’s experience and expectation is that vendors have the

appropriate technology. Be sure you include the seal, signature, and the short

form certiﬁcate (jurat) on your checklist.

Submission and Application Process

Your electronic notarization application will be acknowledged on receipt in the

Oﬃce. Processing may take three to four days to review. Upon acceptance in

the system and review by staﬀ as complete, you will be sent a notiﬁcation to

pay the $30 non-refundable application fee online. DC government and federal

government applicants are not required to pay the fee. If the application is not

suﬃcient, you will be sent a denial email with instructions on how to make

corrections.

First time electronic notary applicants will receive notiﬁcation to take a training

course from an outside vendor to complete the education requirement under

the law. Upon completion and veriﬁcation of the training requirement,

applicants receive the endorsement notiﬁcation approving the application.

The notice ﬂags the purchase of the supplies needed to conduct electronic

notarizations. Following this timeline, in an additional three weeks, the Oath

Page is sent to the applicant. Electronic notaries must take an oath. Oaths are

administered remotely and scheduled within 3-5 days of receiving the oath page.

The oath page requires approval after the oath taking. Upon review and

approval of the oath page, an electronic notary certiﬁcate will be sent by email to

the email address of record. Like the traditional notary public application

process, the e-notary process can take from 45-60 days.

Application Fee

The application fee to become (or renew) an e-notary is $30 and is not

refundable. You will pay the fee online. Those who are commissioned as

notaries solely for the DC or federal government are exempt from the

application fee for the endorsement.

Required Training for First Time Applicants to

Become an E-Notary

• First time applicants for an e-notary endorsement are required by law to take

a training course. Unlike the mandatory Orientation Session in Washington, DC

to become a notary public, the training must be done through an outside vendor

for e-notaries.

• ONCA cannot recommend a company or organization for the e-notarization

training requirement, but you may do an Internet search for “In Person Electronic

Notary Training, DC (IPEN)” and several sources will appear. Many of the vendors

that provide the technology and software to support electronic notarization also

oﬀer training support.

• Once you have taken this training you must provide ONCA with evidence that

you have successfully completed the training by sending us a certiﬁcate that

includes your name, the name of the vendor, the date(s) you took the course,

and stating you successfully completed the course. Please use the link provided

in the training email you receive to upload the certiﬁcate of completion. If the

training is not suﬃcient, you will be sent a denial email with instructions on how

to successfully complete the training.

• After we receive this proof, you will be notiﬁed your application has been

approved with the notiﬁcation to take the oath of oﬃce by phone.

Surety Bond

No separate surety bond is required for an e-notary endorsement. The surety

bond required for a notary public commission (except for those commissioned

solely for the DC government) will cover the endorsement as an e-notary.

Term of E-Notary Endorsement

• The end date of the e-notary endorsement will always be the same as the

end date of your commission as a notary public, but the beginning date of the

endorsement as an e-notary will be diﬀerent because you cannot apply for the

endorsement as an e-notary until you have taken the oath of oﬃce as a notary

public.

• If you apply to become (or renew) a notary public with a commission date that

begins on the 15th of the month and you take the oath three days prior on the

12th of that month, you may then submit the e-notary application the same day

(the 12th of that month). Your e-notary endorsement will end on the same date

as your notary commission—the 14th of the same month. Using the example

above, if you don’t take your notary public oath of oﬃce until after the 15th of

the month, you cannot apply for an endorsement as an e-notary until after date.

For example, if your commission commencement date begins on the 15th of the

month but you take the oath on the 20th of that month, you cannot apply for an

e-notary endorsement until the 20th of that month.

• Since the e-notary endorsement application process may not be completed

for 45-60 days, the endorsement will not begin until the date the oath is taken

and you have uploaded your oath page.

• If you apply to become (or renew) your e-notary endorsement during your

notary commission, your endorsement will begin once you have taken the oath

for the e-notary endorsement and the endorsement ends when your commission

as a notary public ends.

• If you apply for an e-notary endorsement within four months (120) days of the

end of your commission as a notary public your application cannot be submitted

to save you from paying the e-notary application fee twice within 60 days.

Endorsement Notice/Ordering Supplies

• An Endorsement Notice is the document received by a new e-notary or

renewal e-notary applicants allowing for the purchase of technology supplies.

• In the case of new applicants for e-notary purposes, the applicant must

complete the training requirement from an outside vendor and provide proof

they have successfully completed the course before receiving an Endorsement

Notice allowing them to purchase supplies.

• For Renewal Applicants, the applicant will receive the Endorsement Notice

after paying the application fee, allowing them to purchase their supplies. Those

serving as notaries/e-notaries in the DC or federal government are exempt from

paying fees.

Oath of Oﬃce

• You are required to take an oath of oﬃce to receive an endorsement as an

e-notary.

• You will be administered the oath of oﬃce by telephone. It may take us up to

3-5 days to contact you after you receive the Oath Page. If you do not take the

oath within ten (10) business of a member of the ONCA staﬀ ﬁrst contacting you,

the endorsement will be cancelled, and you will have to apply again.

• You will be placing your electronic seal, electronic signature and electronic

jurat on the oath of oﬃce page. You must open the oath page in Microsoft Word

and on a computer, not a phone or a tablet in order to be able to complete it.

The seal, signature and jurat must be in JPEG or PNG format. You will also be

required to put in your date of oath and the days and hours you are available.

• Once you have taken the oath, you will use the link in the email to upload it.

We will review it. If it is correct, you will receive your Electronic Certiﬁcate of

being an e-notary by email. If there are errors, you will receive a denial email

with a new oath page that must be completed in full and uploaded to our system.

• The date your e-notary endorsement begins is the date you successfully

upload your oath page.

• Electronic notarial duties cannot be conducted legally until you have received

your Electronic Notarial Endorsement Certiﬁcate. You may not conduct

e-notarizations until you receive your e-notarization certiﬁcate.

Overall E-Notarization Process

• You must perform an e-notarization using a computer, smartphone, or tablet.

The steps are generally as follows. The individual for whom the e-notarization is

performed may email the document(s) to the notary, bring the document(s) to

the notary on a portable storage device, or direct the notary to download the

document(s) from online storage at the time of the e-notarization. The notary

will upload the document(s) to the notary’s electronic notarization system. The

e-notary may have the electronic document. The individual will sign the

document in the presence of the notary using the notary’s computer or mobile

device; the notary will use an electronic jurat or other short form certiﬁcate and

electronically sign his/her name online. When the notary applies his or her

electronic signature and seal, the notary’s electronic notarization system will

make the e-notarization “tamper-evident” so that if there are any changes made

to the document after it is signed, those changes will be evident to all. A record

of the e-notarization must be recorded in a hardcopy or electronic journal

meeting the same requirements as for the hardcopy journal used to record a

traditional paper notarization.

• If you receive a document from an individual that does not contain a notarial

certiﬁcate (jurat, acknowledgment, etc.), you must add your electronic certiﬁcate

(jurat, acknowledgement, etc.) and have the individual having the document

notarized sign the document(s).

• The individual having the document notarized must personally appear before

you. This is In-Person Electronic Notarization (IPEN).

Signature of Individual Having Document Notarized

The individual for whom the e-notarization is performed must provide proper

identiﬁcation and sign the document on the computer, smartphone, or tablet in

the physical presence of the notary. The identiﬁcation is the same as deﬁned for

notaries public in the law.

Electronic Notarial Certiﬁcate and Seal

• An e-notary shall complete an electronic notarial certiﬁcate for every notarial

act at the time of the notarization and in the presence of the individual(s) having

the document(s) notarized.

• The e-notary shall complete and sign an electronic notarial certiﬁcate with an

electronic signature that complies with the short form certiﬁcate requirements

for all notarial acts; jurats, acknowledgments, true copies, etc.

• The electronic seal of an e-notary shall be a digital image that appears in the

likeness or representation of a traditional physical notary public oﬃcial seal.

• An e-notary shall use a tamper-evident technology that complies with the

technology standards described above.

• Any interested individual must be able to conﬁrm through ONCA that an

e-notary who signs an electronic record had the authority at that time to perform

electronic notarial acts.

• Only the e-notary to whom the tamper-evident technology is registered shall

generate an oﬃcial electronic certiﬁcate and seal.

Electronic Journal Requirements

• If you maintain a journal in an electronic format, it must be protected with

technology to allow a person inspecting the journal to determine whether there

have been any changes to it. We call this “tamper-evident.”

• An electronic journal must contain the same information as a tangible (hard

copy) record: the date and time of the act, a brief description of the record, the

type of notarial act, the name and address of the person(s) for which the notarial

act was performed, the signature(s) of the person(s) for which the notarial act

was performed, the identiﬁcation required, the fee if any charged, and the place

the notarial act was performed. If a credible witness was used in lieu of

identiﬁcation, the journal must include the name, address and signature of the

witness and the individual(s) for whom the notarial act was performed. If an

individual was unable to physically sign the document(s), the journal must state

this as described in the Notary Public Handbook.

• The electronic journal must enable access by a password or other secure

means of authentication. The password will be a part of the technology for

e-notarizations.

Electronic Short Form Certiﬁcate – Jurat,

Acknowledgment

The electronic short form (example: jurat) certiﬁcate stamp must be in the same

wording as the traditional notary public hardcopy short form. If the language on

the hard copy short form document corresponds with your electronic form

certiﬁcate, the electronic certiﬁcate stamp is not required.

Chargeable Fees

• An e-notary may charge a reasonable fee based on the electronic technology

that the electronic notary uses if that fee is agreed to in advance with the cus-

tomer and itemized separately on the invoice.

• The e-notary may waive all or part of this fee.

• An individual who has an endorsement as an e-notary for use on behalf of the

District or federal government may not charge a fee.

• An e-notary may charge a travel fee when traveling to perform a notarial act

in the same way a notary public may charge a travel fee for a traditional paper

notarial act. An e-notary who has an endorsement solely for use on behalf of the

District or federal government may not charge any fees for travel. See 17 DCMR

§ 2420.5 for the speciﬁc requirements for charging travel fees.

• The electronic journal must create a duplicate record of the journal as a

backup.

• The electronic journal must be capable of providing tangible or electronic

copies of any entry made in the journal.

• Upon request, an e-notary must provide a copy of a record of any notarial act

to any person upon payment of a reasonable fee, except that if ONCA has made

the request no fee shall be charged.

Identiﬁcation Requirements

The identiﬁcation requirements are the same as for traditional notarial acts. See

17 DCMR § 2408 for the speciﬁc identiﬁcation requirements.

Termination of Endorsement

• If your commission as a notary public is terminated for any reason, your

endorsement as an e-notary is also terminated and you must follow the

procedures below.

Other Information

• As noted throughout this Handbook, you must follow all other requirements

for traditional paper notarizations when you perform an e-notarization.

• This includes:

- the personal appearance of the individual for whom the e-notarization is

being performed at the time of notarization,

- both the individual and you being physically within the boundaries of the

District of Columbia at the time of the e-notarization,

- identifying the individual as provided in the District of Columbia Code,

- using an electronic seal every time you perform a notarial act,

• Provide ONCA with proof you have destroyed your electronic seal. You must

send us an email to notary[email protected]ov stating you have destroyed

the electronic seal.

• Provide ONCA with the access instructions to your electronic journal so

ONCA can access the records, or you must provide us with printed copies of the

records.

Lost or Stolen Seal or Journal

• If your electronic seal is lost or stolen, notify ONCA within 10 business days.

• To continue in service as a notary public/e-notary, you must diﬀerentiate your

seal/electronic seal from the one on ﬁle. The new seal (both traditional and

electronic) must provide a distinctive mark from your previous seal.

Search for a Notary Public Map Website Feature

If you are listed in the ONCA website online Search for a Notary Public map

https://os.dc.gov/service/search-notary-public, you must also be listed as an

e-notary.

Just as with a notary public commission, your e-notary endorsement may be

denied, suspended, revoked, and conditioned for the same reason as your notary

commission.

• Should you have any changes in your status as a notary or e-notary, you must

inform ONCA as described in the Notary Public Handbook. The status of your

notary public commission must be the same as your status as an e-notary.

• Please review the Notary Public Handbook on our website to make sure you

have the details for the requirements on how to perform notarial acts and what

you may and may not notarize.

Use the links below to review the Code for

Notaries Public and the Rules for Notaries Public

in the District of Columbia:

Code for Notaries Public

https://code.dccouncil.us/dc/council/code/titles/1/chapters/12A/

Rules

https://os.dc.gov/service/notary-commissions

Other Useful Websites:

Oﬃce of the Secretary of State of the District of Columbia

www.os.dc.gov

Oﬃce of Notary Commissions & Authentications

https://os.dc.gov/service/notary-and-authentication-services

April 2023

- knowing when you may and may not notarize, and

- performing the types of notarizations authorized by the District

of Columbia Code.