Ohio Remote Online Notary

Adding RON to Your Ohio Notary Commission

Remote Online Notarization lets you perform notarial acts through a live audio-video connection — no physical presence required. Ohio authorizes RON under the Notary Public Modernization Act, but it's a separate credential layered on top of your base traditional commission. You can't apply for RON without an active commission already in place.

Here's how the process works, what it costs, and what ongoing obligations come with it.

Prerequisites

Before you can apply for RON authorization, you need:

• An active, valid traditional Ohio notary commission — your base commission must be in good standing
• Completion of a two-hour RON-specific education course
• A passing score on the written RON exam

You cannot pursue RON as a standalone credential. The traditional commission is the foundation.

Education and Exam

The RON course and exam are separate from your initial three-hour notary education. Key differences:

Ohio Notary Services, LLC is the sole authorized provider of RON education and testing. Unlike the traditional commission, where several bar associations and county law libraries offer approved courses, RON training is a single-provider system.

If you fail the RON exam, the same rules apply as the traditional exam: a mandatory 30-day waiting period before you can retake.

Filing the RON Application

After passing the RON exam, submit your authorization application through the same notary portal at notary.ohiosos.gov. You'll need to:

1. Upload your RON education and exam certificate
2. Describe the technology platform(s) you plan to use
3. Pay the $20 state filing fee

Processing takes 3–7 business days, the same window as a traditional commission application.

Technology Platform Requirements

Your chosen platform must comply with the requirements in Ohio Administrative Code 111:6-1-05 and remain on the Secretary of State's current approved list. Verify both before relying on a platform:

• Real-time, two-way audio-video communication — both you and the signer must be visible and audible throughout the session
• Dynamic identity proofing — the platform must verify the signer's identity through knowledge-based authentication (KBA) questions
• Credential analysis — the system must analyze a government-issued photo ID in real time
• Tamper-evident digital signatures — X.509-conforming PKI certificates
• Secure electronic journal — built-in record-keeping for every transaction

Compliant platforms available in Ohio include Proof (formerly Notarize), NotaryLive, eNotary On Call, and OneNotary. Verify current approval before choosing one, and list your selected platform(s) in your RON application.

The 10-Year Record Retention Rule

This is where RON obligations diverge sharply from traditional notarization. Under R.C. 147.65, RON notaries must:

• Maintain a tamper-evident electronic journal recording all online notarizations in chronological order
• Record the full audio-video session of each remote notarization
• Retain both the journal and all recordings for a minimum of 10 years from the transaction date

Ten years of video storage isn't trivial. Most RON platforms handle storage as part of their subscription, but verify the retention terms in your platform agreement — if the platform sunsets or changes pricing, you're still personally responsible for those records.

RON Fee Structure

RON notaries can charge more per act than traditional notaries:

• Up to $30 per RON act (increased from $25 under HB 315, effective April 4, 2025)
• Up to $10 per session as a technology fee for identity verification tools
• The technology fee is per session, not per act within that session

That means a one-act RON session could yield up to $40 in fees. For comparison, a traditional in-person notarization is capped at $5.

What RON Doesn't Cover

One important limitation: under R.C. 147.62, RON authorization does not extend to taking and certifying depositions. Depositions are limited to traditional in-person or traditional electronic (IPEN) commissions only.

Also, while Ohio law authorizes RON for real property transactions, individual mortgage lenders, title insurance underwriters, and secondary market investors retain the right to refuse remotely notarized documents. If you're doing loan signing work, always verify the lender's closing instructions before conducting a RON session.

The Ohio notary commission guide includes a RON application tracker that walks through each requirement — from course registration to platform selection to the final state filing.

See more Ohio guides →