YourVoice.Now Summary
Your MoneyCivil LibertiesWorkers & JobsTransparency & AccountabilityYou could get papers notarized by video from home — and any state would have to accept it.
Your Money
A notary could handle papers that cross state lines over live video chat. You would appear on camera, so no trip to an office is needed.
Every state would have to accept a notary's work from another state. Federal courts would too. That covers papers tied to business across state lines.
Someone outside the country could notarize by video. The paper has to be for a U.S. court, a U.S. agency, or U.S. property, and the signing must be legal where that person is.
A notary who is not a lawyer could not use the term "notario". They also could not offer immigration help for pay. Doing so would cost them the right to notarize.
Civil Liberties
Each video session would be recorded, video and audio. The notary keeps that file at least 5 years. In states with no rule of their own, it is 10 years. It stays on file even if the notary quits.
The notary would confirm who you are through two separate services that search public and private records. A witness who knows you in person can be used instead.
The notary might skip the ID check or the recording. The paper would still count as notarized. You could still ask a court to undo it for fraud or forgery.
Workers & Jobs
No notary would have to work with electronic records, serve people by video, or use a tool they did not pick. The choice stays with the notary.
Some states set up a separate notary approval for electronic and remote work. A notary in those states without it could not notarize under this law. The same goes for one a state has sanctioned.
Transparency & Accountability
The signer can sign a statement saying the notary explained these advertising limits. It also says the notary kept to them. That would settle the point as of that day.
More about this bill
Getting papers notarized could happen over video, from home. Today it usually means an in-person visit to a notary public. Under this bill, a notary could handle documents that cross state lines by live video chat. Home closings, powers of attorney, and estate papers are common examples. You would appear on camera instead of in the room. People living abroad could use it too, for U.S. court filings or U.S. property. The change would start when the bill became law. Video notarizations would come with set rules. The notary would first have to check who you are. That means personal knowledge of you, or a witness who knows you. It can also mean two separate services that search public and private records. The session would be recorded on video and audio. That recording would be kept at least 5 years, and 10 years in states with no rule of their own. Skipping any of these steps would not void the notarization. You could still take a fraud, forgery, or forced-signature claim to court. Every state and federal court would have to honor a notarization from another state. Today that can depend on the second state's own law. States could add their own steps, but they would have to keep the 5-year recording rule. They also could not give one company's technology extra legal weight. No notary would be forced to work by video, or to use a tool they did not pick. States could still require a special approval for video work. A notary who is not a lawyer could not use the term "notario" or sell immigration help. Breaking that rule would cost the right to notarize under this law.
Congressional Summary
Securing and Enabling Commerce Using Remote and Electronic Notarization Act of 2025 or the SECURE Notarization Act of 2025 This bill allows a notary public commissioned under state law to remotely notarize electronic records and perform notarizations for remotely located individuals. The bill provides technical requirements for the notarizations, including the creation and retention of video and audio recordings and the use of communication technologies (i.e., video chat).Additionally, the bill requires U.S. courts and states to recognize notarizations—including remote notarizations of electronic records and notarizations of remotely-located individuals—that occur in or affect interstate commerce and are performed by a notary public commissioned under the laws of other states.The bill also allows a notary public to remotely notarize electronic records involving an individual located outside of the United States, subject to certain requirements.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Action Date
- Date Added
- 2026-04-02
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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