Online Notarization now Legal

#1

Post by caseya » Tue, Jul 03, 2012, 11:07 PM UTC

This is a great example of a disruptive technology startup. SignNow has created NotaryNow and helped lead the charge to get the online notarization bill passed in Virginia, which came into effect on July 1st so now people can notarize documents from anywhere in just minutes.

Online Notarization now Legal
notary.signnow.com

Re: Online Notarization now Legal

#2

Post by aeontech » Tue, Jul 03, 2012, 11:42 PM UTC

Very interesting. I would make the "Legal" in intro, and in feature list a link - people will want to know the details, and most of them will not click the tiny link in the footer to the FAQ.

Re: Online Notarization now Legal

#3

Post by Anechoic » Tue, Jul 03, 2012, 11:45 PM UTC

Is finding a notary really that much of a hassle these days? Every bank I've had an account at had a notary on staff who would notarize documents for free (my current bank has three branches within three miles of my house, all open 7 days per week, and late hours - however I'm sure not everyone is so fortunate).

Re: Online Notarization now Legal

#4

Post by devinfoley » Wed, Jul 04, 2012, 12:00 AM UTC

I'm very excited about this, but it would be nice to see the price without having to first upload a document.

Re: Online Notarization now Legal

#5

Post by caseya » Wed, Jul 04, 2012, 12:01 AM UTC

aeontech wrote: post #2

Very interesting. I would make the "Legal" in intro, and in feature list a link - people will want to know the details, and most of them will not click the tiny link in the footer to the FAQ.

Appreciate the feedback there. We'll include the link up there for our next push.

Re: Online Notarization now Legal

#6

Post by Mizza » Wed, Jul 04, 2012, 12:01 AM UTC

Semi-related: I have begun work on a distributed, cryptographic and temporal notary system. Sneak peek it: https://github.com/Miserlou/CitizenMediaNotary#citizen-media...

Hopefully will be announced properly in the next two weeks. Input welcome!

Re: Online Notarization now Legal

#7

Post by caseya » Wed, Jul 04, 2012, 12:03 AM UTC

devinfoley wrote: post #4

I'm very excited about this, but it would be nice to see the price without having to first upload a document.

We'll be adding pricing to the homepage this week as well. For everybody reading this, it's $14.95 per notarization.

Re: Online Notarization now Legal

#8

Post by steve8918 » Wed, Jul 04, 2012, 12:08 AM UTC

If I receive a document notarized by this service, how can I trust that this service has done its due diligence? From a cursory look, I just can't believe that a document can be notarized online without even knowing if the person exists. Admittedly, I don't know too much about the notarization process, so maybe they verify things like identification given to them? Does the service explain what steps it does in order to verify identity besides uploading documents that could be easily forged?

Re: Online Notarization now Legal

#9

Post by dfc » Wed, Jul 04, 2012, 12:09 AM UTC

Does the full faith and credit clause of the constitution cover notarizations? Or to put it another way will a document with an electronic notarization from Virginia be recognized in the other 49 states?

NB the link to the law is buried a couple clicks in. If you are interested in seeing the law: http://notarynow.signnow.com/virginia-notary-law/

Re: Online Notarization now Legal

#10

Post by ghshephard » Wed, Jul 04, 2012, 12:28 AM UTC

The first thing that everyone at my office noticed when I forwarded this link - they are only open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM EST? Hopefully that that's the first thing that's tweaked, otherwise anybody on the west coast who wants to notarize something after 3:00 PM is still faced with heading out of the office, plunking down $5 and getting their document stamped.

I can see this being very convenient for people who are located in rural locations, though I don't know how much business those people will generate.

Of course - the biggest challenge here will be price competition and a race to the bottom. At $5/notarization, it usually takes 3-4 minutes to get somebody's passport, ID, data, etc...

Watching the video - the one thing going for signnow is it will escrow your notarized document. Maybe the real play here isn't so much notarization as a business, but the brand development of signnow by offering peripheral services.