Texas remote online notarization
Texas authorized remote online notarization in 2018 (Tex. Gov't Code §§ 406.101-406.111). The notary keeps a traditional commission and adds an online notary commission with the Secretary of State. You join a recorded audio-video session, prove identity on the platform, and sign electronically. The notary must be in Texas. You do not have to be.
How the appointment works
- Ask the lender, recorder, school, or counsel if they will take a Texas electronic notarial certificate.
- Book a Texas notary who actually holds an online commission, not every Texas notary.
- Complete the platform's ID proofing before the call. Have a camera, microphone, and the document ready.
- Join the recorded session. The notary must be in Texas during the act.
- Download the electronically notarized file the platform produces. Keep it. Wet-ink originals are not created.
When RON is the right Texas tool
A Texas POA signed from another country. A refinance the lender will take electronically. A signer in a rural county an hour from the nearest mobile notary. It is the wrong tool when the county recorder or a title company still wants wet ink, which is still common on some Texas real-estate packages.
Cost and what you get
Statute caps the online notarial act at $25 (Tex. Gov't Code § 406.111). The technology vendor may charge its own fee. Mobile travel does not apply. Traditional in-person Texas fees remain $10 / $1 under § 406.024 if you book wet ink instead.
The product is an electronic certificate plus a session recording the notary must keep. If the receiving party later demands paper, you may need a new in-person act, not a printout of the PDF.
Official instructions: Texas SOS online notary. Statewide notary rules live on the Texas notary hub.