This was supposed to be the next or new frontier. Got the X.509 certificate, but I don’t see anyone out there clamoring for the service. Is it worth paying for a certification? Which company should I go to for the certification? Is anyone out there doing it now?
I’ve never seen any interest in the kind of eNotarization that I could do with just an X.509 certificate, so I never got a serious one. (I have one for amateur radio awards, but that’s just a hobby).
I took a glance at the FAQ for Virginia Electronic notaries. It looks like YOU don’t have to BE certified, rather, you certify that the technology(ies) you have selected satisfy the Virginia Secretary of State’s requirements.
If you wanted to sign up to do remote notarizations and have them keep the required video recordings and provide the other required services, be aware that the organization that is ultimately receiving the notarized document is likely to specify which platform to use. If a title company decides to do a real estate signing using Pavaso, you can’t say “no, I want to use Notarize” you’ll find yourself removed from the signing. (More likely, you’ll never be contacted in the first place because you aren’t signed up with Pavaso.)
So it’s a matter of guessing which platform will be the most popular, finding out if they are taking on free-lance notaries, and whether there terms are acceptable to you.
In my area, there is almost zero demand, and I can’t do any enotarizations until the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation issues rules about how to do them. So I’m just keeping an eye on the situation.
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Quick note here - I think VA notaries are required to maintain the video of the notarization for 5 years; I don’t think they can off-site this unless approved by the state.
Here in FL the new law has commanded a change in our certs as of 1/1/2020 - certs must now contain an indicatiaon that the signer appeared in person or online; here the investment in the technology along with the satisfying the record retention requirement, in addition to the added bond and E&O insurance required by the state, is precluding me from even looking into doing this - not to mention in 13 years here in FL have had ONE…yes ONE…request to do an e-notarization. And I’ve talked to some folks about “what do you think of signing online or with skype with a notary on video cam” - have not had one say “what a great idea!” - it’s always “Absolutely NOT!”
To the OP…you’d have to review what it’s going to cost you and compare to the demand you see for this service.
JMO and good luck