6. Once the person signs the document, the document must be sent to the notary within five (5) business days. The person signing the document can either send the original by regular mail (post-marked within 5 business days), or the person can send an “electronic copy” (i.e., a scanned pdf or by fax).
Unless the person signing is required to keep the original, I recommend having the person mail the original to you in case you ever need it (even if they also e-mail you a pdf). If necessary, you can have them e-mail the pdf version within the five business days, and then have them mail/deliver the original to you when possible.
7. When you receive the original signed document, attach your signed and stamped acknowledgement to the document. If you receive a pdf, scan your notary acknowledgement (you will have a pdf of the signed document, and a pdf of the notary acknowledgement). Then create a combined pdf that has both the signature and the notary acknowledgement. You have now notarized the signature as if you had been sitting next to the person.
8. If the person e-mails you a pdf of the signed document, a paper copy of the pdf can qualify as an original document. To do this, you need to add an attestation saying it is a true and accurate copy of the pdf. The steps for this are as follows:
- Print off the signed pdf and attach the signed and stamped notary acknowledgement to the printed off pdf.
- Sign and stamp an attestation stating the printed off copy is a true and accurate copy of the electronic document pursuant to Executive Order 20-08.
9. In your notary journal, record the exact time and software used to perform the notarization (for example, 4/9/2020; 2:30 p.m.; Zoom Videoconference). Complete the rest of the journal entry as normal, with the exception that no signature is required in the journal by the person who signed the document.