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For Test bullets Notaries

Last modified date: Oct 19, 2023

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All Notaries

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  • ~this is bullet two
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Obtain Authorization to Perform Online Notarizations

To obtain authorization to perform online notarizations, follow these instructions and submit your Online Notary Public Commission Application with your notarial seal, digital certificate, and a $75 fee to the Secretary of State.

The questions in your application can be answered as follows -

1. The name of your vendor and a description of the technologies it uses to provide the services listed in section 4;

Response: The vendor is Notarize, Inc. The technology is the Notarize Platform which incorporates all necessary software applications and functionalities to provide secure audio-video communication technology with electronic signature and online notarization services.

2. An explanation of the method or technology you will use to maintain an electronic notary journal as required by the Rules;

Response: Notarize will store my electronic notarial journal on my behalf for the legally specified retention period (5 years).

3. A copy of your unique electronic seal (see the Rules for requirements);

Action: Right-click and select "Save Image As..." on your computer after your seal is created during onboarding and upload that image.

4. A copy of your unique electronic notarial certificate or other technology for rendering a notarized electronic document tamper-evident;

Action: Follow the directions in the section above regarding IdenTrust digital certificates to download your digital certificate and provide it to the Secretary of State.

5. A copy of the  instructions or techniques supplied by the vendor that allows the online notary public’s electronic notarial certificate to be read and authenticated;

Action: To independently verify the validity of the Notary’s Digital Certificate, you must first install a file in your Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat desktop software. This file creates a trust relationship between the PDF reading tool and the IdenTrust root certificate. (Please see below for full instructions.)

How to install IdenTrust verification files in Adobe Reader

Adobe Acrobat/Reader requires one-time trusting of the IdenTrust root certificate. This can be accomplished by installing the IdenTrust-provided .FDF files in the reader that will be used to inspect documents e-signed or notarized on our platform.

  1. Download the appropriate file(s)
  2. Double click on the file
  3. In Acrobat/Reader, click "Set Contact Trust" to add the Certificate to the List of Trusted Identities
  4. Check the box next to:
  5. In Adobe 6 - "Trust Signatures created with this Certificate"
  6. In Adobe 7, 8 - "Trust this Certificate for: Signatures and as a Trusted Root"
  7. In Adobe 9 - Choose the "Use this certificate as a trusted root" checkbox
  8. Click "OK" or "Import", click "OK" again, then click "Close"

Verifying the digital certificate on a notarized documentOnce

Once trust is established following the steps above, digital signatures on e-signed and notarized documents can be verified following these steps:

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  • You must have a downloaded copy of the document to be verified — i.e. you cannot verify the digital certificate directly within a browser or email software.
  • Open the document in your Adobe Reader or Acrobat desktop software.
  • If the digital certificate is valid, you will see the signatures bar at the top of the document area, with the message “Signed and all signatures are valid.”
  • To inspect the details of the digital certificate, click the “Signature Panel” button in the signatures bar.
  • Within the Signature Panel, you can quickly assess certificate ownership and validity, and ensure that the document has not been modified since the signature was applied.
  • To further inspect the signature, you can open the Signature Details viewer. This will display additional information related to the signature owner and certificate authority.
6. A copy of the instructions or techniques supplied by the vendor that allow the online notary public to conduct identity proofing and credential analysis.

Response: Notarize facilitates identity proofing through the use of Knowledge-Based Authentication or KBA. KBA is completed before the signer is connected with a notary and requires the signer to provide their name, address, date of birth, and the last four digits of their SSN. The signer is identified, and questions are generated from data records corresponding to the identity provided.

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Next, Notarize facilitates the credential analysis. The signer uploads a picture of the front and back of a valid government-issued photo ID. The ID photo must be captured by a device camera controlled by the Notarize software and cannot be uploaded as an image file from a desktop or remote file storage location. The image is then analyzed by an automated system in accordance with the regulations’ requirements to verify its authenticity. After KBA and credential analysis, the signer is moved to the notary meeting. During the meeting, the notary is aware that KBA and credential analysis were completed and is also shown the images of the signer's ID that was subject to credential analysis.

If you have any questions, reach out to the Secretary of State's office at this email: tnsos.mvtl@tn.gov.

Please note: If you were already authorized to perform online notarizations prior to your application with Notarize, you must inform the Secretary of State that you are now using Notarize.

Additional On-demand notary requirements