Florida notaries must complete the following steps to ensure they have the necessary training, tools, and credentials before performing notarizations on the Proof platform.
All Notaries
Obtain a Traditional Notarial Commission
Your traditional commission allows you to perform in-person notarizations. To obtain your traditional commission, complete an application packet obtained from one of the notary processors listed here. After obtaining your commission, you must provide information about and upload a copy of it to your profile.
Obtain E&O Insurance Policy
While E&O insurance is highly recommended, it is only required for notaries working in an on-demand capacity. Notaries serving their own customers or in-house notaries may optionally upload their E&O insurance.
Notaries working in an on-demand capacity must provide information about and upload a copy of an errors and omissions insurance policy for at least $25,000 to the platform.
Generate a Digital Certificate in the Proof Platform
A digital certificate is an electronic credential that is used to digitally tamper seal notarized documents. Do not purchase it from another vendor as it will be provisioned after you verify your identity through an IAL2-Compliant Identity Verification on the Proof platform.
Proof Certificate pricing varies, but special promotional discounts are available into 2025.
Important: Make sure the name in your notary profile is identical to the name on your commission documentation. Differences between your profile name and the one in your documentation could delay issuance of your digital certificate.
Please note: Be prepared to provide a government-issued primary ID, a supplemental (secondary) ID, and a selfie to complete the IAL2-Compliant Identity Verification to obtain your digital certificate.
Generate an Electronic Signature and Notarial Seal in the Proof Platform
Your electronic signature and seal are used to sign and seal notarized documents. Do not purchase them from other vendors as they will both be freely provided to you by the Proof platform.
The information that you provide during onboarding will be used to automatically generate a seal that complies with the particular legal requirements of your state.
You will also create your signature during onboarding and are responsible to make sure that it matches your name as commissioned and your signature on file with the Department of State.
Obtain Authorization to Perform Online Notarizations
To obtain authorization to perform online notarizations, mail the following to:
Division of Corporations
Att: RoseAnn Varnadore
2415 N Monroe St #810
Tallahassee FL 32303
(Make sure to use # 810, not Suite 810)
- Copy of your traditional notary commission,
- Proof of completion of an online course from an approved provider (course providers available here),
- Copy of your $25,000 surety bond,
- Copy of your E&O insurance policy (ALL PAGES),
- Check payable to Florida Department of State for $10 (registration fee),
- Your notarized Application Registration for Online Notary Public,
- A completed DC-DOS-50 form.
Important: Do NOT list Proof as a secure repository of your notary journal. Notaries on the Proof platform only store their journals on the platform but remain individually responsible for control of and access to the information in their journal.
If you have any questions, please contact the Department of State using this form.
Please note: If you were already authorized to perform online notarizations prior to your application with Proof, you must inform the Department of State that you are now using Proof.
Complete Proof Platform Certification
After you complete the steps outlined above, you will be sent a link to a course and assessment of your understanding of the Proof platform. You must complete the course and score 80% or higher on the assessment.
Additional On-demand notary requirements
Complete Additional Training and Background Check
If you want to perform on demand notarizations on the Proof platform, you must also obtain NSA certification from the National Notary Association (which includes a background check) and complete additional Proof assessments.