Pennsylvania Notarial Law and Remote Online Notarization
This is a summary of Pennsylvania’s Notarial Law (RULONA.) Nothing in this article constitutes as legal advice. It is just a summary of law current as of 03/08/2026.
Main points to keeps in mind:
Treat “personal appearance” and “identity” as the two non‑negotiables: do not proceed until you can document the appearance modality (in‑person vs remote under § 306.1) and the identification method under § 307 (or the remote identity alternatives).
Complete the certificate contemporaneously and fully; remember that by signing the certificate the notary is certifying compliance with key statutory duties (including conflict-of-interest rules and personal appearance).
Keep exclusive custody and control of your journal and stamping device; do not allow staff to “help” by making entries or using your stamp, because Pennsylvania law treats those tools as notary‑controlled and record integrity becomes critical when acts are challenged.
For RON: build a retention and retrieval plan before your first remote act—know who stores the audio‑visual recording, how you can retrieve it, and how long it must be kept (at least 10 years, absent a longer regulatory period).
Prepare now for the March 28, 2026 regulatory effective date: if you are renewing or starting a new commission on/after that date, confirm the bond amount and stamp format requirements and ensure your operational templates (certificates, ID capture practices, journal fields, privacy redactions) match the new regulations.
Pennsylvania’s core notary law is the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (RULONA), codified primarily in Title 57, Chapter 3, with major operational requirements around personal appearance, identity verification, notarial certificates, seals/stamps, and journals.
Remote Online Notarization (RON) is a permanent part of Pennsylvania law (added by Act 97 of 2020), but it is layered on top of the same “core” notarization concepts: identify the signer, ensure the correct notarial act is performed, complete a compliant certificate, make journal entries, and keep required records. RON adds statutory requirements for audio‑visual communication, audio‑visual recording retention, and remote identity methods (personal knowledge, credible witness, or multi‑factor “identity proofing”).
Final-form regulations fully implementing RULONA have been approved and are slated to be published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on March 28, 2026, becoming effective that same date. Among the most practical impacts for working notaries are (1) a higher bond amount for newly appointed/reappointed notaries, and (2) updated operational standards in areas like identification, journal handling, privacy of personally identifiable information, and remote/electronic notarization workflows.
This report is general information for professional audiences and not legal advice. Where the law leaves discretion (for example, what is “satisfactory” ID beyond the listed ID types), this report flags the ambiguity and focuses on conservative compliance practices.
Governing sources for Pennsylvania notaries
The primary legal source is Title 57, Chapter 3 (RULONA) as published by the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The statute covers: who may be commissioned, what acts are authorized, the “personal appearance” rule, identification standards, certificate and seal rules, journal rules, and discipline/sanctions.
RULONA is implemented and supplemented through Pennsylvania Department of State rules and published regulations. RULONA expressly authorizes the Department to promulgate regulations to implement the chapter, with a technology‑neutral principle for electronic notarization rules.
RON is expressly statutory: the key enabling language and requirements are in 57 Pa.C.S. § 306.1, which also directs the Department to promulgate regulations establishing standards for communication technology, identity proofing (including credential analysis and dynamic KBA as examples), provider approval processes, and recording retention periods.
From an administrative “source of truth” perspective, Pennsylvania Bulletin publication matters because final-form regulations become effective as prescribed in the rulemaking (and, for the 2026 RULONA regulations, the Department has announced an effective date tied to publication). The final-form notary regulations were approved after review by the Independent Regulatory Review Commission and legislative committees, and are slated for publication and effectiveness on March 28, 2026.
Commissioning, bonding, and renewal requirements
RULONA sets baseline eligibility. In general, an applicant must be at least 18, a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident, live in or have employment/practice in Pennsylvania, be able to read/write English, not be disqualified under the sanctions section, pass the required exam, and comply with any additional Department requirements by regulation.
Education and testing are statutory. A first‑time applicant must pass an exam and, within the six months immediately preceding application, complete at least three hours of Department‑approved basic education that includes duties/responsibilities and electronic notarization. Renewals require at least three hours of Department‑approved continuing education within the six months immediately preceding the renewal application.
Operationally, Pennsylvania ties commissioning to “recording” steps at the county level. After appointment and before entering duties, the notary must obtain a surety bond and execute an oath/affirmation of office, and within 45 days record the bond, oath, and commission with the county recorder of deeds (and register the official signature in the appropriate county office within statutory timeframes). Failure to comply can render the commission “null and void” under the statute.
Bonding is a statutory requirement, with the statute specifying $10,000 or an amount set by Department regulation. As a recent regulatory development, the Department has announced that new notary regulations will take effect March 28, 2026 and will increase the bond amount from $10,000 to $25,000 for notaries newly appointed or reappointed on or after that date, while allowing notaries with a current commission on March 28, 2026 to continue using their existing bond until that commission expires.
A notable statutory update within the last five years: § 321 reflects a 2022 amendment (Act 154) affecting the official signature registration provisions, emphasizing that Pennsylvania’s notary commissioning mechanics can change through targeted statutory edits even when the broader RULONA framework remains stable.
Fees are regulated. RULONA requires the Department to “fix” notary fees by regulation and prohibits charging more than the set maximum (while allowing a notary to waive fees). The Department also requires compliance practices like posting or disclosing fees in the manner set out in the statute and implementing regulations/guidance.
Core duties, notarial acts, and identification standards
Pennsylvania frames notaries as public‑trust actors focused on identity verification and fraud reduction, with service functions like witnessing signatures, administering oaths, and certifying copies as part of daily practice.
RULONA’s “requirements for certain notarial acts” section is important because it defines what the notary must determine for common acts. For an acknowledgment, the notary must determine the signer’s identity and that the signature is the signer’s. For verifications on oath/affirmation (jurat‑style acts), the notary likewise determines identity and signature authenticity for the statement being verified. Similar identity/signature determinations apply when witnessing or attesting a signature, while copy certifications require determining the copy is complete and accurate.
Personal appearance is the default rule: if the notarial act relates to a statement made in, or signature executed on, a record, the signer must “appear personally” before the notarial officer. RON is the key statutory exception mechanism: a remotely located individual may satisfy the personal appearance requirement through communication technology under § 306.1 (but only if all conditions in that section are met).
Identity standards are comparatively clear in statute. A notarial officer has “satisfactory evidence” of identity via a current, unexpired passport/driver’s license/government nondriver ID, or another current government ID that includes a signature or photo and is “satisfactory” to the notarial officer. Alternatively, identity may be established by a credible witness who personally appears and is personally known to the notarial officer, through a verification on oath or affirmation. The notarial officer may also require additional information or credentials, which is an express statutory discretion.
Notaries are not required to proceed with every request. RULONA authorizes refusal if the notary is not satisfied about capacity/competence, voluntariness, ID signature conformity, or physical appearance conformity with the photo ID.
Conflict-of-interest limits matter. A notarial officer may not notarize a record where the officer or the officer’s spouse has a direct or pecuniary interest, with the statute also recognizing that not every relationship to the transaction is disqualifying (for example, ordinary salary not tied to a transaction is treated differently than transaction‑specific gain).
Required elements for a valid notarization in Pennsylvania
Authority to act
Active commission; comply with appointment/bond/oath/recording rules
57 Pa.C.S. § 321
No disqualifying interest
Do not notarize when notary or spouse has a direct/pecuniary interest
57 Pa.C.S. § 304
Personal appearance
In-person appearance is required unless a statutory exception applies
57 Pa.C.S. § 306; § 306.1
Identity verification
Use personal knowledge, qualifying ID, or credible witness; may require additional credentials
57 Pa.C.S. § 307
Act-specific determinations
Ensure the required determinations (e.g., identity + signature authenticity) match the act performed
57 Pa.C.S. § 305
Certificate completion
Certificate must be contemporaneous, signed/dated, include county/state and officer title (and commission expiry for notaries)
57 Pa.C.S. § 315
Seal/stamp or secure electronic association
Tangible records require an official stamp near signature; electronic records require compliant attachment/association
57 Pa.C.S. § 315(b); § 317; § 320
Journal and (for RON) recording retention
Make contemporaneous journal entry; deliver journal on termination; retain RON recordings for at least 10 years
57 Pa.C.S. § 319; § 306.1(e)
Certificates, seals, journals, and recordkeeping
RULONA treats the notarial certificate as the formal evidence of the act. The certificate must be executed contemporaneously, signed and dated by the notarial officer, identify the county and state of performance, and contain the officer’s title; where the officer is a notary public, the certificate must also indicate the commission expiration date and the notary must sign exactly as commissioned (or execute an attributable electronic signature).
For tangible-paper notarizations by a notary, an official stamp must be affixed near the notary’s signature in a form capable of photographic reproduction. On electronic records, RULONA allows the stamp to be attached to or logically associated with the certificate.
Seal requirements for Pennsylvania paper notarizations are unusually specific: the seal must be a rubber stamp, limited to 1 inch high by 3.5 inches wide, and contain specified text in a particular order (including “Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” “Notary Seal,” the notary name and “Notary Public,” county of office, and commission expiration, plus any other information required by the Department).
The stamping device is a security‑controlled tool: the notary is responsible for it, may not allow another person to use it for a notarial act, and must disable it when the commission ends; the notary must promptly notify the Department if it is lost or stolen.
Pennsylvania requires a journal for all notarial acts, with minimum content and format rules. Journal entries must be made contemporaneously and include the date/time, record description and act type, full name and address of each principal, method of identification (or a statement of personal knowledge), and fee charged. The journal can be a bound register with numbered pages or a tamper‑evident electronic format.
On loss/theft, the notary must notify the Department. On termination (expiration, resignation, or revocation), the journal must be delivered to the county recorder of deeds within 30 days; similar delivery duties apply on death or adjudication of incompetency. The journal is the notary’s exclusive property and cannot be used by others or surrendered to an employer upon employment termination.
Beginning with the March 28, 2026 RULONA‑implementing regulations, Pennsylvania’s regulatory framework also becomes more explicit about public interactions with journals (inspection and certified copies), and about privacy boundaries around personally identifiable information in journal entries. For example, the final-form rulemaking materials describe prohibiting inclusion of any portion of an individual’s Social Security number in the journal and define personally identifiable information to include items like full driver’s license numbers and dates/places of birth.
Remote online notarization in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s RON statute (57 Pa.C.S. § 306.1) is built on a clear concept: the notary can satisfy “personal appearance” through communication technology where the signer is remotely located, but only if the statute’s conditions are met.
Key statutory requirements include:
The notary must be located in Pennsylvania and must identify the remotely located individual using one of the permitted methods: personal knowledge, credible witness (oath/affirmation), or at least two different identity proofing processes/services.
The notary must reasonably identify the record as the same record in which the signer made the statement or executed the signature.
The notary (or a person acting on the notary’s behalf) must create an audio‑visual recording of the notarial act, including all interactions between notary and signer.
The audio‑visual recording must be retained for at least 10 years (or as otherwise required by regulation).
The notarial certificate must indicate that the act was performed using communication technology (including a statutorily suggested statement).
Additional limitations apply when the remotely located individual is outside the United States: the record must have a U.S. nexus (filing, jurisdiction, property, or transaction connection) and the signing/statement must not be prohibited by the foreign state where the signer is located.
Statute also defines core RON terms. For example, “communication technology” must allow simultaneous sight‑and‑sound communication and require reasonable accommodations for individuals with certain impairments, while “identity proofing” is a third‑party process/service using public or private data sources to verify identity.
The new comprehensive regulations (effective March 28, 2026) are designed to operationalize the statutory delegation. They define a “remote notarization technology provider” as a provider of communication technology and identity proofing approved by the Department, require notaries to notify the Department (through the notaries portal) before acting as remote notaries, and set more detailed technology standards (for example, baseline compliance with federal/state law and functional requirements for the communication technology used).
Pennsylvania describes RON adoption as phased: electronic notarization dates to 2006 (program establishment), while remote notarization accelerated in 2020 and became permanent with Act 97 of 2020 (effective October 29, 2020).
The milestones above are drawn from Department guidance and Pennsylvania’s regulatory record (including Pennsylvania Bulletin publication history and approval orders).
Federal and cross-border considerations, including apostilles
Notarization “interacts” with federal and international practice in two main ways: (1) recognition of acts performed under other legal authorities, and (2) authentication/apostille workflows for documents used abroad.
RULONA recognizes certain notarial acts performed outside Pennsylvania, including acts performed in another state, under the authority of a federally recognized tribe, under federal authority, and (with conditions) foreign notarial acts. These provisions generally give such acts the same effect under Pennsylvania law as if performed by an authorized Pennsylvania notarial officer, and specify evidentiary rules (prima facie evidence and conclusive determination) for signatures/titles.
For documents bound for use outside the United States, Pennsylvania’s Department of State offers document authentication services (apostille or certification/document certification). The Department’s public guidance distinguishes what it can answer (Pennsylvania processes) and points users to the U.S. Department of State for legalization of federal documents such as FBI background checks.
At the federal level, the U.S. State Department’s Office of Authentications explains the apostille/authentication distinction (Hague‑Convention country vs non‑Convention country). It also provides guidance emphasizing that “state documents” are handled through the issuing state’s competent authority, while certain documents signed by federal officials or military notaries/judge advocates belong in the federal apostille/authentication workflow.
The Hague Conference on Private International Law maintains country‑level listings of “competent authorities” for apostilles and notes, for example, that the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications issues apostilles for documents issued by federal agencies, while state‑issued public documents are apostillized by designated authorities within those jurisdictions.
Enforcement, recent developments, and compliance tips
Pennsylvania’s Department of State has broad disciplinary authority under RULONA. It may deny, refuse to renew, revoke, suspend, reprimand, or impose conditions on a commission for acts or omissions showing the notary lacks honesty, integrity, competence, or reliability; the statute also authorizes an administrative penalty of up to $1,000 per violating act/omission (and for performing a notarial act without being properly commissioned).
RULONA also lists “prohibited acts” that matter for small‑business notaries, including that a notary commission does not authorize practicing law, giving legal advice, or acting as an immigration consultant or representative in immigration proceedings—areas where marketing language and customer expectations can create compliance risk.
Recent court opinions illustrate that notarization compliance can have high‑stakes downstream effects even when the notary is not the “main actor” in a transaction. For example, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in In re Joseph L. Koepfinger emphasized that certain instruments (there, a power of attorney) must be executed in conformity with statutory requirements that include acknowledgment before a notary public; nonconforming execution can render the instrument void ab initio, with cascading effects on transactions taken under that purported authority.
Likewise, a non‑precedential 2025 opinion by the Superior Court of Pennsylvania discussed reliability problems where a notary journal entry was made by someone other than the notary (highlighting how journal integrity expectations can become evidentiary issues in contested matters).
