How to Become a Remote Online Notary in Illinois

RON Is a Second Commission, Not an Upgrade Toggle

Illinois doesn't let you flip a switch on your existing traditional commission to start doing remote online notarizations. You need a separate Electronic Notary Public commission from the Secretary of State, layered on top of your traditional one. This means you hold two active commissions simultaneously — each with its own rules, bond requirements, and record-keeping standards.

The distinction matters because a traditional commission only authorizes in-person notarizations. Even "remote paper notarization" (where you and the signer are on a video call but working with physical ink-and-paper documents) is different from true RON, which uses fully digital documents, electronic signatures, and cryptographically sealed PDFs.

The Electronic Commission Setup Process

To get your electronic commission, you need to complete six steps after you already hold a traditional commission:

1. Obtain the surety bond. Normally this means a $30,000 combined bond ($25,000 on top of your existing $5,000 traditional bond). But under Public Act 104-0621 (Senate Bill 1573), the additional $25,000 bond is waived through July 24, 2028. During the waiver period, your existing $5,000 traditional bond covers electronic acts too.

2. Complete electronic notary training. You must finish a state-approved course focused on electronic notarization and security standards. If your initial commissioning course covered electronic acts within the past two years, that may satisfy this requirement — check with the Secretary of State's office.

3. Contract with a certified platform. You need to sign up with one or more Electronic Notarization System Providers certified by the state. These platforms handle the identity proofing that RON requires — automated credential analysis and dynamic Knowledge-Based Authentication (KBA), where the signer answers five personal background questions generated from public and private databases.

4. Buy a PKI digital certificate. A Public Key Infrastructure certificate from a certified authority (IdenTrust is the most common for Illinois) generates the cryptographic key you use to apply your electronic signature. This certificate must remain under your sole control at all times.

5. Upload your electronic signature and seal to the portal. Log into the Secretary of State's portal, select "Add Electronic Notary," and upload copies of your electronic signature and seal. The signature must be an exact representation of your handwritten signature on file with the state, in a format that identifies the certified platform that prepared it.

6. Register each platform. Every certified platform you intend to use must be registered with the Secretary of State. If you add or switch platforms later, you have 30 days to update your registration.

The Fee Waiver Window

Under normal circumstances, the electronic commission application costs $25 on top of the $15 traditional fee. SB 1573 waives this $25 fee through July 24, 2028. Combined with the bond waiver, the actual cost of adding an electronic commission during this window is essentially zero beyond your platform subscription and PKI certificate.

Most commercial sites still quote the pre-waiver cost structure. If you're applying before July 25, 2028, don't pay for a $30,000 bond or a $25 e-filing fee.

How RON Sessions Work

During a remote online notarization, you must be physically located in Illinois. The signer can be anywhere in the world. The signer logs into the platform, uploads their digital document, and goes through multi-factor identity verification — credential analysis of their government ID plus the KBA questions.

You connect via encrypted audio-video, witness the digital signing in real time, apply your electronic signature and seal, and the platform cryptographically locks the PDF to make it tamper-evident.

Both the electronic journal entry and the audio-video recording of the session must be retained for a minimum of seven years.

Traditional RON Fees

The maximum fee for an electronic or remote notarial act is $25 per act, compared to $5 for a traditional in-person notarization. This higher fee cap reflects the technology costs involved.

For a detailed platform comparison, the bond waiver timeline, and a step-by-step RON setup checklist, the Illinois Notary Commission Guide covers the full electronic onboarding sequence.

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