It's on the Virginia Governor's desk for signature. Hopes are this will raise Big Bucks and lots of revenue for Virginia. A Virginia e-notary will be able to notarize any document for anyone in the U.S. More income to Virginia notaries to tax because now out-of-state residents can use Virginia's e-notary rather than a local face-to-face one. I believe the company that sells the software etc. is based in Virginia - more sales tax for the state and more licensing, equipment and software fees for a VA company.
PERSONAL opinion: A signer in Las Vegas signing a deed for a MacMansion in Florida over to Suzie Nonothing can appear before a Virginia e-notary via skye on a screen the size of an ipad. The document is "signed" in Las Vegas. The venue for the notarization is Virginia. Personal appearance before the notary is through a laptop webcam or skype. What is off camera in Vegas stays in Vegas! The notary doesn't know there are five burly guys with guns out of sight making sure the deadbeat casino loser, who is so drunk he hasn't a clue what he's signing, signs the deed to his house over to Suzie Nonothing for a quick flip sale. The future mortgage lender will only see a "properly" signed and notarized document according to Virgina law. If the deed or mortgage is questioned, those problems of venue (California or Virginia law?), mental capability of signer (did the notary smell alcohol on the signer's breath?), willingness to sign, document being contested, etc. will create fee income for litigation attorneys.
I have no objection to e-notarization. I am not comfortable with the process. I prefer to be reach-out-and-touch-someone close to the signer, hold their identification documents in my hands while I review them, and know the surroundings and circumstances they are in when I notarize a document as their "free act and deed." This may be work well for those nasty hospital notarizations, too - no need for doctors, nurses or checking to make sure the signer isn't on heavy medication. Put up a nice "office curtain" behind the signer for the photo op.
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